Conservation of Private Lands - Opportunities and Challenges for the States

Private land conservation initiatives are a critical component of any state-level quality of life agenda. Although concerns over sprawl, including the loss of prime agricultural lands and significant green space, continue to be one of the underlying rallying cries in support of state-level smart growth initiatives, the fact remains that with few exceptions, conservation of privately-owned working lands has not received significant attention in smart growth literature or conferences. Yet, land conservation and growth management are inextricably intertwined and policy initiatives must work in concert to be effective.

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