Frequenlty Asked Questions

Here are some questions recent visitors to the site have asked, along with responses to the questions.

Should you have any questions, please click on the send e-mail option to pose your questions privately, or go to the discussion groups, where you can enter into -- or begin -- a dialog about any of the issues that are of greatest interest to you.

Most questions will be answered by browsing through the documents listed below:

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The landholders obviously get various subsidies or compensation for being in the program to "protect the panther" but,

This is NOT A SUBSIDY for landowners. The incentive program/compensation package that is being proposed can be viewed either as a payment in return for a service (managing habitat, which we as taxpayers have to pay the government to do on public lands) or as compensation for a landowner's willingness to give up part of the economic use of his or her land (which could generate more money growing citrus, vegetables or houses).

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1. What do EXACTLY the taxpayers or panthers get for their money?

1. The taxpayers and panthers will get a strong, reliable prey base that is attracted by nearby agricultural crops and well-managed habitat (because of budget constraints government-owned land is not always well-managed, which can result in the invasion of exotics, build ups of large amounts of undergrowth and, due to the build up of undergrowth, hot devastating fires that can destroy habitat).

Also, don't forget this is private land, and a landowner has a lot of leeway with what he or she can do with that land (just as you have a lot of leeway with what you can do inside your own home).

The proposed lease document is designed to appeal to a large number of private landowners. It is neither coercive or invasive; instead, it is based on the principle of rewarding private landowners for conservation practices through tax credits and/or annual payments. Because it will provide landowners with a reduction in operating costs and/or a revenue stream for maintaining natural habitats, it will offset the economic incentives (and temptation) a landowner might have for converting these habitats to other uses.

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It is worth remembering that, according to the 1994 Florida Statistical Abstract and 1992 Census of Agriculture, Florida:

	Florida's agriculture and forestry landowners own virtually

		... every acre to be used for future development,
		... every acre to be protected, and 
		... every acre to be to remain in ag and forestry.

The decisions these landowners make today will greatly affect Florida's future. In fact, if urban and suburban build out proceeds according to the local comprehensive plans that are already approved and contained in state law ... all ag and forestry will disappear ... along with its open spaces, natural resources and economic contributions to local economies. That's why it's important that we work with these landowners today ... before decisions are made that can never be undone.

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1a. Will the landowners allow continuing wildlife monitoring over the 25 years to ensure best land management practices are followed. YES / NO

1a. Yes, monitoring will be allowed. However, as mentioned above, the document is designed to not be invasive. Hence, while aerial monitoring can be conducted at anytime, access to the property will only occur once every 3-5 years to monitor the lease terms under the basic agreement. If more periodic monitoring is desired, or if extensive field work with panthers on private lands is proposed, this can be accomplished by providing additional compensation to the landowner and negotiating an arrangement acceptable to all parties.

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1b. Will the landholders still ranch/farm and convert land to any land use as they please? YES / NO

1b. Landowners will still ranch and farm. They will continue their operations as normal, even converting from one crop to another as they wish. However, their obligation under the lease is to DO NOTHING that will jeopardize the integrity of the habitat that is specified in the lease document. If they think an operation might have an impact on the habit, they are obligated to contact the agency with authority over the lease and work out an acceptable means of moving forward. Reading the lease document will give you an idea of the specifics involved.

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1c. Will the Government have any authority over the land use? YES / NO
If yes, please specify what will be the limits of that authority?

1c. This is still private land. And the compensation the landowner is receiving is much less than would be received under a conservation easement or from outright public purchase. Hence, the obligations of the landowner and the amount of the government's authority over the land and the owner's operations will be less -- commensurate with the level of compensation. Again, see the lease document for specifics. And, remember, the current lease document is the BASIC agreement. It is being designed with sufficient flexibility to add additional requirements (or opportunities) for additional compensation. In short, the taxpayer will be able to get exactly what he or she pays for: The base lease will cost about the same on a per-acre basis as we currently pay government agencies to manage the land that is in public ownership. And that is what we will get back from the landowners: good management of the habitat. If we want more, then we will pay more.

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1d. Will participation "cap" the amount of land they can use for agriculture? YES / NO

1d Again, see Panthers & Private Lands: An Overview and Private Habitat Conservation Lease.

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1e. Will they be required to provide environmental habitat enhancement, i.e.. take land out of agriculture use and restore to wild state?YES / NO

1e. Required, no. Offered the option for additional compensation, yes.

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Finally, is it ok for me to tell my friends about the web site?

Yes! Please do. The more input we receive and the more views are shared, the better.

Page Title	Page Contents
Panthers & Private Lands: An Overview	describes the landowner's conceptual plan.
The Resource Conservation Agreement	This page provides links to a variety of documents describing the Resource Conservation Agreement that evolved as a result of this project. It will govern the relationship between landowners, government agencies, the public and the habitats for panthers (and other natural resources) on their land.