Northeastern Area Forest Legacy Program (FLP)
The Tract Record
Third Quarter FY 2009
FLP Knowledge Blooms Alongside the Redbuds in Gettysburg
How much impact can a meeting room have on a meeting? In the case of the 2009 meeting of Forest Legacy Program Coordinators within Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, it had a lot of impact. Rachel Billingham, Pennsylvania Forest Legacy Program Coordinator and the meeting’s host, was able to secure the conference room in the newly completed visitor center at Gettysburg National Military Park for the 2½-day meeting held April 28-30. The room was ideal—participants were arranged around an enormous table so that they all were facing each other. This arrangement created an environment that fostered lively dialogue and discussion.
In addition to presentations and discussions, the meeting provided the opportunity for State coordinators to discuss upcoming and ongoing projects with Forest Service review appraisal staff. Ken Daw, R9 Regional Appraiser, and Susan Waller, Senior Review Appraiser, were in attendance. Kerry Wieber, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, commented, “It was great to have the opportunity to meet with Ken and Susan to talk about the Northern Great Lakes Forest Project, but it was hard to find a good time to step out of the room because everything on the agenda was so useful.”
The full agenda and great setting resulted in a meeting that was, in the words of one participant, “…one of the best meetings I have attended.”
President's FY2010 Budget Request for FLP
The President's detailed FY2010 budget proposal, released on May 7, 2009, includes $91,060,000 for the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) and identifies 47 projects for the protection of environmentally important forests. The Forest Service prioritized the projects to be considered for FY2010 FLP funding on January 13-14, 2009.
House and Senate Reveal their Positions on FY2010 FLP Appropriations
The House of Representatives passed their version of the 2010 Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill on June 26, 2009, in which funding for the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) is identified. The House FLP mark of $76,215,000 is $14,845,000 less than the President’s 2010 proposal ($91,060,000), requires the use of $3,500,000 in prior year funds for FY2010 priorities, and directs the Forest Service to follow the ranked priority list that appeared in the Presidents budget. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed their version of the bill on June 25, 2009, sending on to the full Senate for passage of the bill. The Senate marks the FLP at $55,145,000, would fund 20 FLP priorities. The Senate Appropriations Committee also recommends $1,000,000 for the Community Forestry and Open Space Program. The conference committee between the House and Senate is expected to meet later this summer where the bills differences will be resolved.
Recently Completed FLP Projects
Bears can Roam on Another Secured Piece of Forest in Vermont
Conservation of the Anderson tract in the Green Mountain Wildlife Corridor Project adds yet another important parcel to the forested wildlife corridor protection effort between the south and north units of the Green Mountain National Forest. The 511-acre property was purchased by The Conservation Fund with the intention of conveying to a private buyer after protecting it with a Forest Legacy conservation easement. The easement was purchased on March 30, 2009 by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The parcel is located adjacent to Okemo State Forest and in close proximity to several other previously conserved Forest Legacy properties. A total of $493,000 in FLP funding was used for the project; $468,421 for acquisition and $24,579 for associated closing costs. Cost share for the acquisition came from The Conservation Fund by way of a $172,000 bargain sale.
Headwaters and Valleys Conserved in Vermont
A community initiative to conserve property in Orange County was set off on April 14, 2009, when a conservation easement was purchased from Meadowsend Timberland, Inc. on 1,473 acres. The land, a picturesque valley and the headwaters of three major river watersheds are safe from development. The easement, held by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, will further the sustainable forest management practices currently happening on the property and include pedestrian public access. The easement was acquired with $760,000 in FLP funds with $720,000 used for acquisition and $40,000 for associated closing costs. Match came by way of a $35,000 bargain sale from Meadowsend Timberland and $277,500 in in-kind purchases by the Vermont Departments of Forests, Parks and Recreation and Fish and Wildlife.
By Rejecting Building, Indiana Builds a Bridge of Conservation Land
Indiana uses Forest Legacy Program (FLP) to build conservation connections in Brown County. Indiana completed the Wallow Hollow tract, the first tract in Indiana's Land Bridge FLP Project, on June 11, 2009. This 128-acre conservation easement is a forested span bridging a 969-acre protected forest block of the Hitz-Rhodehamel Woods, 426 acres – owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Lilly-Dickey Woods – 543 acres – owned by Indiana University, and 323 protected acres of the Youngman Woods Nature Preserve owned by State of Indiana. The FLP contributed $281,625 toward the purchase of the conservation easement valued at $395,000. Cost share for the project came from a bargain sale by landowner, Presnell Plantation LLC, selling the easement for $49,375 below the appraised value and TNC contributing $64,000.
Community Forest Created – Great North Woods-style -- Outside Bangor, Maine
The 4,974-acre Amherst Mountains Community Forest lies on the “Airline” highway between Bangor, Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. The small mountains and ponds of Amherst are part of the Lower Penobscot Forest region, part of an emerging complex of tens of thousands of acres of conservation lands, working forest easements, national wildlife sanctuaries, and recreational assets. Within an easy commute from Maine’s second largest city, Bangor, Amherst’s undeveloped ponds and hills have views of Cadillac Mountain (Acadia National Park) to the south and Mount Katahdin (Baxter State Park) to the north. On June 18, 2009, the State of Maine purchased the parcel for $3,200,000 with $2,500,000 from the Forest Legacy Program, and $700,000 from the Land for Maine’s Future Program. Private donations and other resources covered transactional costs, endowments, and staff time. The forest will be managed though a unique state-municipal partnership mitigating local property tax losses and setting the stage for more community forests in Maine.