The following text was sent out via email on August 19, 2024. Sign up for PEC email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
The climate crisis and ever-increasing development pressures mean that proactive, intentional efforts to protect our lands and waters are needed now more than ever.
This is why PEC is advocating that, as part of the AC44 Comprehensive Plan update, Albemarle County should strengthen its land conservation programs. These include the Albemarle County Easement Authority, currently underfunded and understaffed, and the Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) program, which is completely inactive.
These land conservation programs conserve rural land that would otherwise face significant development pressure and result in sprawl and loss of high quality forests and farmland. Land conservation is a natural climate solution and provides critical public benefits like flood protection and clean drinking water to our community.
The ACE program is also uniquely designed with a clear focus on equity, giving landowners of modest means a financial incentive to help them retain their land, with criteria to provide more support to those who need it most. We spoke with a few of these landowners to learn more about their experience, and I encourage you to read the stories they shared of how the program helped them keep their land intact and in the family.
“I wanted to do something good for my county. Albemarle County is probably one of the most beautiful counties in the whole United States; it needs to balance conservation and rural areas with development. I’m a poor widow. I could not have done the easement without the ACE program’s financial incentives.”
– Janice Stargill, Schuyler
Climate and equity are the two guiding principles of AC44, and the County’s stated goals include protection of the Rural Area and its resources, as well as guiding growth to the existing Development Areas. Given that, we believe that strengthening the land conservation programs should be identified as a catalyst project – one of the County’s highest priorities for implementation over the next five years. Read our latest update on where Albemarle is in the AC44 update process.
We recommend ac AC44 Comp Plan catalyst project to strengthen the land conservation programs include the following action steps:
- Restore the County’s ACE program. Establish a stable and dedicated funding source and allocate permanent staff resources for the program.
- Establish an Albemarle Conservation Fund, in addition to a stable and consistent funding source for the PDR program. The fund should be structured to receive payments from other sources, to allow Albemarle’s conservation programs the flexibility to receive additional support through other channels, including through mitigation of adverse impacts from development projects.
- Enhance the County’s ACE program with an updated approach, focused on continuation of equitable farmland protection, while also addressing co-benefits of climate resiliency, biodiversity and stream health.
- Implement the two land conservation proposals designed as part of the Stream Health Initiative – proposal #6 (Land Conservation for Water Quality) and proposal #7 (Riparian Conservation Assistance Program).
You can share your support for the strengthening of Albemarle’s conservation programs as an AC44 catalyst project by reaching out to your supervisors, and by writing to BOS@albemarle.org, PlanningCommission@albemarle.org and AC44@albemarle.org.
We’ve thought a lot about what a catalyst project to strengthen the conservation programs might include, and encourage you to explore the opportunities and recommendations we’ve outlined in more detail on our website. You’ll find details on what the programs have accomplished and the public benefits they provide, as well as what you can do to support them as part of the AC44 Comp Plan update and beyond.
Thank you.