Land Trust Work in Pennsylvania
Economic Benefits
Environmental Benefits
Health Benefits
Social Benefits
Public Opinion
Land Use
Over 55,000 Pennsylvanians financially support local and regional land trusts* within the state. *Does not include large organizations, e.g., The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy. (Land Trust Alliance, 2003 census data).
1434 conservation easements are held by 43 land trusts across the state. (Land Trust Alliance, 2003 census data).
Sixty percent of Pennsylvania's land trusts are operated entirely by volunteers. (Land Trust Alliance, 2003 census data).
Half of the Pennsylvania land trusts that exist today were formed after 1989. (Land Trust Alliance, 2003 census data).
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Corporate CEOs say quality of life for employees is the third-most important factor in locating a business, behind only access to domestic markets and availability of skilled labor. (Economic Benefits of Open Space, Trust for Public Land, 1999) - www.tpl.org
Owners of small companies ranked recreation/parks/open space as the highest priority in choosing a new location for their business. (Economic Benefits of Open Space, Trust for Public Land, 1999) - www.tpl.org
In the year 2000 alone, the economic value of insect-pollinated crops in the United States was estimated to be between $20 and $40 billion. Thus, the loss of pollinator species could lead to a series of devastating losses to our economy and food supply. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
[P]ollinators such as bees generate enormous economic benefits, even as their numbers decline. Over 90 percent of all flowering plants and over 75 percent of the staple crop plants that feed humankind rely on pollinators. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
“The real estate market consistently demonstrates that many people are willing to pay a larger amount for a property located close to parks and open space areas than for a home that does not offer this amenity,” writes John L. Crompton, a professor at Texas A&M University who has published extensive research on parks and recreation. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
In May 2001, Boeing Co. announced its decision for the location of its new corporate headquarters, after a heated three-way battle among Chicago, Dallas, and Denver. In choosing Chicago, Boeing officials cited, among other reasons, the city’s quality of life, including recreation opportunities, its downtown, and urban life. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
American Forests (a conservation organization) estimates that trees in the nation’s metropolitan areas save the cities $400 billion in the cost of building stormwater retention facilities. Yet natural tree cover has declined by as much as 30 percent in many cities over the last several decades. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
A study of 27 water suppliers conducted by the Trust for Public Land and the American Water Works Association in 2002 found that more forest cover in a watershed results in lower treatment costs. According to the study, for every10 percent increase in forest cover in the source area, treatment and chemical costs decreased approximately 20 percent, and approximately 50 to 55 percent of the variation in treatment costs can be explained by the percentage of forest cover in the source area. (Protecting the Source: Land Conservation & the Future of America’s Drinking Water, Trust for Public Land, 2004) – www.tpl.org
Trees more effectively and less expensively manage the flow of stormwater runoff than do concrete sewers and drainage ditches. “By incorporating trees into a city’s infrastructure, managers can build a smaller, less expensive stormwater management system,” according to American Forests Urban Resource Center. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
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Farms serve as giant, natural sponges, slowing down and soaking up excess water from high rainfall events. As farms disappear, the frequency and severity of flood events increases with incident downstream property loss, harmful scouring of natural salmon spawning beds, washing-away of vulnerable riverbanks, sedimentation, and other environmental harms. (Environmental Benefits of Agricultural Lands, American Farmland Trust, 2003) –www.farmland.org
Farmlands enhance both surface and ground water through natural filtration of pollution. Chemicals, sediments, and pollutants are settled out and taken up as nutrients by farm crops and other vegetation. Frms not only remove their own sources of pollution, but they also help clean non-point pollution from surface waters flowing off adjacent lands. Once lands develop, these benefits disappear and nonpoint pollution becomes an increasingly expensive and intractable public dilemma. (Environmental Benefits of Agricultural Lands, American Farmland Trust, 2003) – www.farmland.org
Green space in urban areas provides substantial environmental benefits. Trees reduce air pollution and water pollution, they help keep cities cooler, and they are a more effective and less expensive way to manage stormwater runoff than building systems of concrete sewers and drainage. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.farmland.org
Green space in urban areas provides substantial environmental benefits. The U.S. Forest Service calculated that over a 50-year lifetime one tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
Trees and the soil under them also act as natural filters for water pollution. Their leaves, trunks, roots, and associated soil remove polluted particulate matter from the water before it reaches storm sewers. Trees also absorb nutrients created by human activity, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which otherwise pollute streams and lakes. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
The loss of natural lands to development impacts not only the quality of our drinking water, and therefore the cost of treating it, but also the quantity. That’s because development increases demand for drinking water while decreasing the ability of water to infiltrate the ground and recharge water supplies. (Protecting the Source: Land Conservation & the Future of America’s Drinking Water, Trust for Public Land, 2004) – www.tpl.org
A typical medium-sized tree can intercept as much as 2,380 gallons of rainfall per year. (Smart Growth for Clean Water: Helping Communities Address the Water Quality Impacts of Sprawl, National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, Trust for Public Land and ERG, 2003) – www.tpl.org
Rapid consumption of land could threaten the survival of nearly one out of every three imperiled species in the U.S....Runaway development threatens the very survival of these national treasures and underscores the urgency for comprehensive habitat protection strategies and planning for green infrastructure. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
Prime farmland, forests, wetlands, and prairie grasslands in and around cities and suburbs provide numerous ecological services, and are home to many imperiled species. These areas have enormous potential for species restoration as well, so long as they are protected from development. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
A new analysis of NatureServe’s rare and endangered species data finds that three-fifths (60 percent) of the nation’s rarest and most imperiled species occur in designated metropolitan areas (Table 2). (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
The 35 fastest growing large metropolitan areas collectively are home to nearly one third (29 percent) of all known imperiled species, and 13 percent apparently are restricted to these metro areas. These 35 areas, which are concentrated in the western and southern regions of the country, also harbor about 19 percent of all known population occurrences of imperiled species (see Table 2). (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
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Parks, trails and greenways, community gardens, and other forms of open space can lead to multiple health and community benefits, from reducing the likelihood of being overweight to increased longevity for older adults. Open space can also benefit air quality, boost emotional well-being, raise property values, and, if designed appropriately, reduce crime. (Active Living & Social Equity: Creating Healthy Communities for All Residents, International City/Council Management Agency, January 2005) – www.icma.org
Strong evidence shows that when people have access to parks, they exercise more. In a study published by the CDC, creation of or enhanced access to places for physical activity led to a 25.6 percent increase in the percentage of people exercising on three or more days per week. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
When people have nowhere to walk, they gain weight. Obesity is more likely in unwalkable neighborhoods, but goes down when measures of walkability go up: dense housing, well-connected streets, and mixed landuses reduce the probability that residents will be obese. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
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According to a recent study, people living near parks and other natural areas live healthier lives with fewer hospital visits. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
Access to public parks and recreational facilities has been strongly linked to reductions in crime and in particular to reduced juvenile delinquency. . .Recreational facilities keep at-risk youth off the streets, give them a safe environment to interact with their peers, and fill up time within which they could otherwise get into trouble. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
Research shows that residents of neighborhoods with greenery in common spaces are more likely to enjoy stronger social ties than those who live surrounded by barren areas. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
Overwhelming evidence demonstrates the benefits of city parks. They improve our physical and psychological health, strengthen our communities, and make our cities and neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
Too few Americans are able to enjoy these benefits. The lack of places for regular exercise has contributed to America’s epidemic of obesity among adults and children, an epidemic that will have dire consequences on both our health and our finances (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
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A recent statewide poll revealed that Pennsylvanians consider “green space” a key factor in deciding where to live. Green space edged out quality of schools, property taxes and distance to work as features considered in choosing a community. (See The First Pennsylvania Environmental Readiness for the 21st Century Survey Report, conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc. for the Pa. Center for Environmental Education.)
Local polls across Pennsylvania demonstrate over and over again that there is strong public support for open space conservation. For example, in 2003 The Tarrance Group surveyed registered likely voters in Montgomery County. When people were asked to consider various issues, 95% found “preserving open space and natural land areas to be important. Significantly, 80% found this issue to be extremely or very important. In comparison, 47% found “attracting new businesses to the area” to have this level of importance.
The Montgomery County results are not unusual. Public support for conservation in Pennsylvania is remarkably strong and consistent regardless of party registration and geographic region. It is also strong and consistent with urban, suburban and rural dwellers alike. (See Voter Support for a Dedicated Environmental Fund in Pennsylvania conducted by Susquehanna Polling & Research, Inc. for the Trust for Public Land, 2002.)
November 2002, voters across the United States approved ballot measures that contained $3 billion for conserving open space. The 94 successful measures were among 111 considered on state and local ballots-a passage rate of 85 percent. Voting results in Pennsylvania were even stronger. Conservation referenda were held in two counties and eleven local municipalities during 2002. All thirteen conservation measures passed with an average of 70 percent of voters voting in favor.
2005 proved to be a successful year for open space referendums in Pennsylvania with voters passing thirteen out of seventeen ballot initiatives requesting the use of public monies for land conservation. In total, fourteen municipalities, one county and one statewide referendum was proposed (Source: Trust for Public Land, Land Vote Database.
More and more state, county, and municipal voters are deciding that the surest—and often the fairest—way to protect open space is to just buy it. Purchasing land or development rights as a way of guiding growth avoids expensive regulatory and legal battles while reimbursing landowners for the economic and other benefits the open space will bring the community. (The Economic Benefits of Parks & Open Space: Chapter 2, Trust for Public Land, (1999)- www.tpl.org
Without public understanding and support for the link between water quality protection and land conservation, development will prevail in the planning process. (Building Green Infrastructure, Trust for Public Land) – www.tpl.org
In a recent poll, the National Association of Realtors found that 57 percent of voters would be more likely to purchase a home close to green space, and fifty percent said they would be willing to pay ten percent more for a home located near a park or other protected natural area. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
In the Republican stronghold of Texas, it’s hard to find a place more red than Kendall County. But on the day Kendall County’s voters picked President Bush over Senator Kerry by a margin of 82 percent to 18 percent, they also approved a $5 million bond to fund parks creation. (Land Vote 2004, Trust for Public Land/Land Trust Alliance, 2005) – www.tpl.org / www.lta.org
In 2004, state and local voters approved 75 percent of the 217 conservation measures on ballots nationwide, generating $4 billion in new conservation funding and continuing a rate of success that has been consistent since 1996. (Land Vote 2004, Trust for Public Land/Land Trust Alliance, 2005) – www.tpl.org / www.lta.org
According to the 2004 American Survey conducted for Smart Growth America and National Association of Realtors, “Americans favor smart growth communities with shorter commute times, sidewalks, and places to walk more than sprawling communities.” And “[a]mericans want government and business to be investing in existing communities before putting resources into newer communities farther out from cities and older suburbs.” (2004 American Survey, conducted for Smart Growth America and National Association of Realtors)
Nearly nine in ten Americans (86%) want their states to fund improvements in existing communities over incentives for new development in the countryside (12%), with a majority (49%) saying they strongly prefer funding for improvements in existing communities. (2004 American Survey, conducted for Smart Growth America and National Association of Realtors)
In a 2001 survey conducted for the National Association of Realtors by Public Opinion Strategies, 57 percent of respondents said that if they were in the market to buy a new home, they would be more likely to select one neighborhood over another if it was close to parks and open space. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
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Many communities conduct open space inventories, often using GIS maps, as part of the planning process. Such information can be used to identify neighborhoods that lack open space and prioritize areas to target new open space or improvements to existing parks and trails. (Active Living & Social Equity: Creating Healthy Communities for All Residents, International City/Council Management Agency, January 2005) – www.icma.org
Creating active living communities goes beyond simply providing parks, trails, and sidewalks. Making active living a part of routine daily life requires, above all, that people have multiple destinations that are convenient to access by bike or on foot. This means “getting the land use right”.... (Active Living & Social Equity: Creating Healthy Communities for All Residents, International City/Council Management Agency, January 2005) – www.icma.org
During the second half of the 19th century, American cities built grand city parks to improve their residents’ quality of life. Dubbed 19th-century pleasure grounds by park historians, the parks include New York’s Central Park and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. (Why America Needs More City Parks & Open Space, Paul Sherer prepared for Trust for Public Land, 2003) - www.tpl.org
The most effective land conservation programs identify critical land resources and preserve those first. (Smart Growth for Clean Water: Helping Communities Address the Water Quality Impacts of Sprawl, National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, Trust for Public Land and ERG, 2003) – www.tpl.org
Smart Growth is a national movement that seeks to direct development in ways that preserve critical open space and natural resources. (Building Green Infrastructure, Trust for Public Land) – www.tpl.org
Since 1950, Pennsylvania has lost nearly half of its farmland compared to a loss of 20% nationally. Several factors ranging from the profitability of farming to urban growth pressures are behind the loss of farmland. (Annual Report on Land Use, PA Department of Economic Development, 1999) - www.tpl.org
The leading demographics and economic forecasting firm Woods & Poole Economics, Inc., estimates that America’s metropolitan population will increase by 29 percent between 2000 and 2025. New buildings, roads, sewers, and water systems will be built to accommodate these growing human needs. And if development continues at prevailing densities, land will be consumed at an even faster rate than population grows. (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
According to the Pew Oceans Commission, watersheds that are over 10 percent impervious (where water cannot penetrate the surface) will contribute to a dramatic degradation in the health of aquatic ecosystems. The best way to avoid such impacts is to steer development away from watersheds with little existing development (with more than 90 percent of the watershed’s surface remaining permeable) and focus development into watersheds that are already degraded.22 (Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America’s Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, 2005) – www.nwf.org
Nationwide 1.2 million acres fall to development every year. This is happening at an accelerating rate. It is happening at a rate that is 2-3 times the rate of growth in population. (Environmental Benefits of Agricultural Lands, American Farmland Trust, 2003) – www.farmland.org
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