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Washtenaw
County Natural Areas Preservation Program
Washtenaw County voters approved a ten-year, 0.25 mill tax
in November, 2000, to create and fund a program to protect
natural areas. Current estimates are that some $30 million
will be available to purchase land and easements. The program
will be operated by the county Parks and Recreation Department
and focuses on lands with one or more of the following features:
public water resources; special plants, animals and plant
communities; recreational and scientific values; and proximity
to protected land. A seven-member technical advisory committee
is appointed by the county Board of Commissioners. The committee consists of the following people who report to the Parks
and Recreation Commission:
· Sylvia Taylor, Chair
· Peter Pollack, Vice Chair
·
Mike Wiley
· Tony Reznicek
· William McCort
· Dave Lutton
· John Russell
The
committee is responsible for developing criteria for the selection of
nominated properties, applications and other materials. Landowners with property
possessing targeted features are encouraged to submit
applications for the program. Nominated properties
will be scored and ranked, and the owners of the top properties will be
approached about selling. An independent real estate appraisal
will determine market value, and payment will be made in exchange
for the land or easement. If the land is purchased outright
("fee simple"), the county will own the land and
may make it accessible for quiet recreational use. If an easement
is purchased, the land will remain in private ownership and
public access will only be permitted if the landowner agrees
to provide it.
For
more information, contact WLT or the Washtenaw
County Parks and Recreation Department at
(734) 971-6337.
State
of Michigan Farmland Preservation Program (PDR)
The Michigan Department of Agriculture offers a program
to purchase conservation easements on qualified farmland.
The program is funded by the payback of tax credits received
if a landowner opts to not renew a contract in the P.A. 116
program (see below). Each year applications are made available;
completed applications are mailed to the Department of Agriculture
for evaluation. Owners of the highest scoring properties are
approached about selling their "development rights"
in exchange for a permanent deed restriction to keep the land
from being developed for non-agricultural use.
WLT
offers free, no obligation assistance to any Washtenaw County
landowner who is interested in applying for this program.
Land trust staff will meet with the landowner, explain the
program, go over the application and review it before it is
submitted to the state. This assistance has already resulted
in three farms completing the process, with 450 acres of prime
farmland protected as a result. There is no cost for applying
to the program.
Guidelines
for the program
For
more information contact
WLT or
the State
Farmland Preservation Program office
at (517) 373-3328.
State
P.A. 116 Program
Many rural landowners are familiar with the State of Michigan
Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program, commonly known
as P.A. 116. Established in 1975, this program offers enrolled
farmland owners a state income tax credit for local property
taxes paid that amount to more than 3.5% of their household
income. The program also offers protection from special assessments
for public water and sewer lines, public lighting and non-farm
drainage. Contracts with the state must be for a minimum of
10 years and can be for a maximum of 90 years; contracts are
renewable at the landowner's option when their expiration
is imminent.
Most
P.A. 116 agreements cover actively farmed land, but owners
of non-agricultural land may also apply to this program and
receive benefits. For those "open space" properties,
enrolled lands are re-assessed for property tax purposes to
reflect that development potential has been foregone for the
life of the contract. The protection from special assessments
also applies.
Enrollment
in P.A. 116 can provide substantial benefits to landowners
who have already permanently protected their land, and to
those who have no plans for development. Applicants to the
state PDR program receive points for P.A. 116 enrollment.
There is no cost for applying to the program.
For
more information contact
WLT or
the State
Farmland Preservation Program office
at (517) 373-3328.
State
of Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund
The state Natural Resources Trust Fund was established in
the 1970s as a means to provide a regular and reliable source
for the purchase of land for public ownership and use. Local
units of government (cities, villages, townships, counties)
may apply for funds if they have an updated parks and recreation
plan and can provide a match of at least 25% of the appraised
value of the property to be purchased. Many public park properties
have been acquired through the Trust Fund.
In
addition to local unit purchase, the State of Michigan also
acquires land for public recreational use. Usually the state's
interest is limited to lands within or adjacent to existing
protected areas such as the Sharonville State Game Area west
of Manchester, the Chelsea State Game Area (Four Mile Lake)
and the Pinckney and Waterloo State Recreation Areas. Landowners
in those regions are encouraged to consider selling their
land to the state, which will pay market value as determined
by an independent real estate appraiser.
For
more information, contact WLT
or MNRTF
Federal
Farmland Protection Program
The federal government occasionally offers a program to purchase
conservation easements on qualified farmland. This program
first appeared in the 1995 Farm Bill, and authorized a mere
$35 million nationwide. Those funds were quickly spent and
no further funds were appropriated by Congress until early
2001 when another $30 million was made available. WLT submitted
an application to protect a family farm and also linked up
with the State of Michigan's PDR program to nominate several
more properties in Washtenaw County. Unfortunately the Bush
administration cut funding to $17.5 million, of which about
$540,000 will go toward protecting farmland in Michigan.
Other
land protection programs
In Fall 2003, voters in both the City of Ann Arbor and in Ann Arbor Towship overwhelmingly approved open
space ballot initiatives that will preserve thousands of acres of open space. Similar ballot initiatives are also being considered in surrounding townships.
For
information about the City of Ann Arbor's Greenbelt program, contact the Mayor's office at
(734) 994-2766. For information on Ann Arbor Township's farmland preservation program, contact
the township offices at (734) 663-3418.
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