Land preservation is about
vision and priorities
By PERRY LINDQUIST
February 23, 2007
Is preserving prime farmland and natural areas one of the priorities of Washington County? Local public opinion surveys say it is. However, if you have been following the County Board debate, you know that they have been unable to come to a consensus on the issue and have now deferred the final decision to the voters through a binding referendum on April 3.
Starting a land preservation program is indeed an important public policy decision - and a good use of the referendum process. To support the referendum or not makes you think about your vision of Washington County - well beyond your days as a resident. Are there areas of the county that should not be developed? Is land preservation a good use of public funds?
Having spent the past 24 years administering land conservation programs for Washington and Waukesha counties, I have witnessed up close the phenomenal land use changes in the area, and am well aware of the many different forces behind them. I believe this referendum reflects the cross-road that we currently face in Washington County. Do we start to take a more active role in preserving the agricultural industry? As one of the largest business sectors in the county, there are a lot of good economic, environmental and quality of life reasons to do so. Others have philosophical problems with the concept - similar to giving public grants to Cabela’s.
During the past four years, much time and effort has gone into researching land preservation options and developing recommendations for a program in Washington County. A special county task force submitted a detailed report to the County Board in March 2006 that relies on the use of purchase of development rights (PDR) as the primary land preservation tool. A wealth of information on PDR and the upcoming referendum is now available on the Internet at www.lcpwc.org, including:
- Downloadable question and answer fact sheets
- County PDR Task Force Report (2006)
- Pros and cons of various land preservation tools
- Links to other sources of information
Prior to April 3 you will read and hear a wide range of viewpoints on this topic - maybe not all so well informed. PDR can be a hard concept to explain in a sentence or a sound bite. But it has proven to be an effective tool to preserve prime farmland and natural areas in 27 other states for several decades. I encourage everyone to keep an open mind and do some research on your own. Afterwards, I hope you will agree that a YES vote on April 3 would be a step in the right direction for Washington County.
To me, it boils down to a countywide vision - and priorities.
(Perry Lindquist served as the vice chairman of the Washington County PDR Task Force and co-authored the task force report. He also previously served as head of the Washington County Land Conservation Department.)