ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607150133
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
AT LAST, the time seems ripe - some say overripe - for establishing a land trust for the Roanoke Valley.
So much of the beauty and character of the valley is in its land that a land trust to help preserve the treasure is only prudent - a sort of safe-deposit box for diamonds of such rare quality they could never be replaced.
Valley Beautiful has taken the first tentative step toward establishing a local trust - meeting to gauge community support, which was encouraging. Now comes the tough work of actually getting organized: finding leaders, start-up funds and members to support the work of a land trust.
A land trust is a private, nonprofit, community-based citizens organization that promotes land conservation.
It does this, first, by educating landowners who want to preserve farmland and open spaces about the legal tools available to them to make sure their wishes are honored. Then, it works with interested property-owners to put those protections in place.
Some local land trusts buy land - or, more often, set up scenic or historic easements and hold them in trust - to ensure the special features of the land will be preserved in perpetuity. Others connect property owners with larger, well-established land trusts, such as the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
Either way, the natural, scenic, historic or recreational value of the land will be protected forever.
Forever is a long time - too long for many whose wealth is tied up in their land. Participating in a land trust is not for everyone, nor is a land trust the only tool a community needs to preserve the natural assets that shape its character and enhance its quality of life. But it is one important tool.
In addition, it is more amenable to Virginia's strong property-rights tradition than many conservation and land-use programs. It is voluntary. Land remains in private hands, and in the use the owner wants to keep it. Easements last forever, but their terms are negotiable: A protective easement doesn't have to restrict farming or timber sales or even prohibit home-building, though this surely would be limited drastically.
Land otherwise desirable for residential, commercial or industrial development loses some of its market value. But landowners who want to protect their property from such development achieve their goal and can reap significant tax benefits - sometimes literally saving the family farm from later having to be sold to pay estate taxes.
Land trusts such as the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Nature Conservancy have been around for years. But local land trusts also have an important role to play in educating property owners and winning their trust. They also raise overall awareness and make a statement about a community's desire for land conservation initiatives.
Roanokers often express their desire to protect the valley's natural beauty - and their dismay at battles lost. Private landowners can take a stand for preservation by at least exploring the options a land trust offers - once one is up and running.
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