The benefits of land preservation

Most of you know that the Land Conservancy of Adams County (LCAC) has a very simple mission. It is dedicated to preserving the rural lands and character of Adams County, PA. That’s it. The LCAC, a fully accredited land trust, executes upon this mission by way of property easements, either purchased or donated. So, what does that mean and what’s in it for me you may ask. Allow me to explain.

 In the simplest form for our purposes, easements are legally granted rights provided by landowners to non-owners (like the LCAC) in exchange for some form of compensation to keep the owners’ property in a state of reduced development…forever. This means the over 13,200 acres of LCAC preserved lands in Adams County is still privately owned. Farmers can still grow their crops, equestrian owners can still run their horse operations, orchard and nursery owners can still grow fruit/shrubs and trees, and other landowners can still enjoy their properties as open, natural and rural spaces.

 Sounds good for the landowners, but what about the rest of us and why should we care? These generous property owners who work with the LCAC are giving up their right to further and substantially develop, sub-divide and improve their lands. This is an immeasurable gift these owners are conveying to the balance of us as community members.

 Let’s consider an extreme scenario, and make it specific to our great Adams County. What if there were no preservation efforts to keeps our county’s land rural, open and natural? Over time, the land would be sold, carved up, developed, over and over again into ever smaller and less interesting and useful parcels of its former self, to the primary economic interest of the individual landowners. What then do we have left? The answer, a patchwork of unconnected pieces that cannot possibly be put back together. As my German friends would say, an einbahnstrase, a one-way street.

 I suspect the reason you enjoy living here is the same reason visitors like to stay and play here…the way it is is the way it was. Remarkable history was made here. Isn’t it more meaningful to embrace the story in the original format with character relevant to the time? Not just while on the battlefields, but within the context of the overall surrounding landscape. History aside, there are so many additional benefits to land preservation efforts that make Adams County the envy of its neighbors.

 Preserving land and restricting uncontrolled development keeps us happier, healthier and more economically desirable and sustainable. Happier because we remain more connected to our environment, ourselves, our neighbors, looking both back and forward; healthier because we can be proud of saved spaces that promote natural habitat for wildlife, forested buffers that clean our air and waters; beautiful vistas in which to recreate, raise our children; and more economically viable and sustainable because our ability to resist change will make us increasingly unique and in ever greater demand as so many other more populated areas fail to commit to preservation.

 Change that leads to loss of beautiful land is easy to let happen. It requires no effort. It just happens slowly, surely until one day we wake up and think…what have we done? Modern society has come to expect it. Resisting the forces of change requires patience, diligence and a long-term strategy that takes careful planning so proper development can occur while maintaining a balance in favor of openness.

 I posit this... for as beautiful, open, natural, rural and original as we Adams Countians have come to think of our magnificent lands, it will pale in comparison to the hundreds of years from now when future generations will look back at us as pioneers, forward looking, thoughtful community members that understood our open lands and environment were and continue to be the most fundamental and increasingly valuable resource we will ever have.

 Dave Salisbury is president of the Land Conservancy board of directors. 

Photo by Scott Clowney.