With the acquisition of the Reynolds Ranch, Platt Rogers Memorial Park, and Rogers property by Boulder County, and the donation of a conservation easement on the Scates Ranch, many of the pressing land conservation needs in the Planning Area have been resolved. However, other significant properties should be addressed, with the Stilson's Ranch as perhaps the highest priority.
To execute an effective land conservation program, PUMA should complete the following steps.
The actual protection of identified lands will require a variety of methods involving both the private and the public sector. Because each property is different, a conservation program should be designed to operate with flexibility. A variety of tools should be considered including private sector opportunities such as conservation easements administered by land trusts and public sector opportunities such as fee simple acquisition or conservation easements administered by public agencies. A discussion of private sector land conservation opportunities is included in Appendix 11.3, and land trust contacts are provided in Appendix 11.1.
The federal, state and county governments offer various funding methods for the acquisition of real properties for the purpose of conservation, in addition to their potential roles in working with the private sector.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was created by Congress for the purpose of acquiring private lands in the interest of conservation. The LWCF provides money for the acquisition of land for new national parks, wildlife refuges, acquisition of inholdings, and public access for federal lands. The LWCF is often the source of funds for purchasing lands acquired on behalf of government agencies by non-profit organizations such as land trusts. The federal government also disperses LWCF monies as matching funds to state and local governments for conservation purposes. While a major source of funding, the LWCF moves slowly and requires congressional approval for expenditures. The Forest Service is a primary recipient of LWCF appropriations.
An alternative to the complex, time-consuming LWCF is the Small Tracts Act which gives federal land managing agencies the authority to dispose of small (less than 40 acres) tracts of non-contiguous federal lands through sale or exchange. This provides a timely means of simplifying land management patterns even as it enables federal agencies to reduce private inholdings on their land through land exchanges. This method might be appropriate for consolidating ownership in the areas with many small mining claim parcels.
The State of Colorado, through the recently instituted Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) program and the state lottery, has funds available for conservation purposes. GOCO will fund land acquisition for wildlife habitat and open space, in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and other state and local public agencies.
With the passage of the 0.25% sales tax initiative in 1993, Boulder County voters endorsed the creation of a major new source of income dedicated to land conservation. Most of this money will be spent on land acquisition in the foothills and on the plains. Nevertheless, the Magnolia community may be able to direct some of these funds to land conservation in the Planning Area.
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