WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Sep. 17 -/E-Wire/ – A call for applications for a national award recognizing leadership in countywide land conservation programs was made jointly today by The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and National Association of Counties (NACo).
The County Leadership in Conservation Awards recognizes leadership, innovation, and excellence in local land conservation and park creation by county leaders across America.
Since 1996, 149 counties have prioritized land protection with new or reconsidered conservation programs. In that time these counties have passed 248 ballot measures, generating $13.2 billion for open space, parks, watersheds, recreational lands, and wildlife preserves. Nearly 77 percent of all county conservation ballot measures in the last decade have won voter approval. These numbers show that increasingly both voters and counties are acting locally to address issues that really matter to them, such as the protection of land and water resources. For more information, go to www.landvote.org.
To support and recognize the initiatives of counties promoting these substantial public investments, three awards will be presented each year to NACo-member counties based on small, medium, and large county populations. The awards will be presented in partnership with the National Association of County Planners and the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials.
The 2007 winners were: Pitkin County, CO Sonoma County, CA and Lake County, IL. These counties highlighted conservation models for the rest of America and demonstrate the future of county conservation.
“The American landscape will dramatically change over the next decades and communities cannot neglect today’s conservation challenges,” said TPL president Will Rogers. “Fortunately, counties are taking charge of their conservation futures and thinking strategically about how best to grow. We are proud to recognize and highlight conservation models for the rest of America.”
“County officials understand the increasing need for land conservation programs,” said NACo President Eric Coleman, commissioner, Oakland County, Mich. “This award showcases the efforts of several county leaders and hopefully spur more county officials to recognize the importance of land conservation programs.”
Applications will be judged based on a broad range of criteria including leadership, innovation, benefits to underserved populations, and benefits to quality of life and environmental quality.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, November 28, 2007 and the awards will be presented as part of the NACo National Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in March 2008.
Additional information and nomination forms can be accessed on the Web at either www.tpl.org/awards or www.naco.org/conservationawards or by calling Milton Ospina at 303-837-1414 ext. 17.
The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit land conservation organization, which conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since it’s founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than two million acres in 46 states. TPL depends on the support of individuals, foundations and corporations. Visit TPL on the Web at www.tpl.org
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org