HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0208.064 2004-2006 Robello, Alfred
From: brian@lorchidea.com
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 4:17 AM ~~~.eivcs.
To: tedwards@westhawaiitoday.com Jirn...~.
Cc: rflickinger@westhawaiitoday.com
Subject: yesterday's article re. public space conservation OoN
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dear editor, i am writting from Connecticut, where my wife and i spend 1/2 of the year when we are not on the hamakua
coast. I would like to comment on the defeat of the public space conservation legislation that was highlighted in yesterday's
article in wht. I would like to reference the following web site www.mvlandbank.com, which highlights a different approach
to this issue which was taken by the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. My wife and I purchased a building
there in 2002 to run our orchid business. At the time of the purchase we gladly paid the 2% real estate trandfer public
surcharge which funds the purchase of public lands for conservation purposes. When we sold the property a year later the
new buyer happily paid the transfer fee again. This has been a very succesful conservation program for the island. Given
the pace of realestate transfers on the big island, I believe a similar situation would happen. All stake holders, including the
prosperious r!
ealestate industry on the island should support such such a conservation effort.
Brian Mackenzie
Onomea Bay
brian@lorchidea.com
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MARTHA'S VINEYARD LAND BANK COMMISSION
Public Conservation Lands
http://www.mvlandbank.com/BANNER.htm 4/28/2005
Contacts Page 1 of 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
nbout the band Bank
Isnabling Legislation
l7ansfcr Pee Regulations
Land Bank I~onns
Required Supporting Documents
Where to Call for l Iclp with Forms
Visiting land Bank Properties
band Bank Commissioners
Land Bank Staff
1"alk'I'o Us
limployment Opportunities
Land Bank offices
are located at:
167 Main Street
P.O. Box 2057
I:dgartown, MA 02539
(508)627-7141 phone
(508)627-7415 fax
liscalofticer4~mvlandbank.com
http://www.mvlandbank.com/Contacts.htm 4/28/2005
About the Land Bank Page 1 of 2
ABOUT THF,_ LAND BANK
Martha's Vineyard Island has witnessed unprecedented change in the most recent decades. Farming
declined; centuries-old pastures and fields were Lett to knot into vines and shrubs. The "freedom to
roam" was curtailed as fences were erected across trails, beaches were gated off and hunting was
restricted.
Few of these problems could be solved by planning boards and conservation commissions only; the
Vineyard needed a new type of land agency. In the midst of an upspiraling building boom, island voters
created the land bank in 1986 and charged it with reversing their losses.
Nearly 15 years have elapsed and more than 1500 acres have now been conserved. Although this
sounds impressive, it is actually mighty small; just two percent of the land area on the island. The
commission's revenue--generated by a two percent public surcharge on most real estate transfers
occurring in the six towns--is modest compared to need, ensuring that islanders can expect the land bank
to protect only a fraction of their community.
And this money must go far. Farmers, hikers, beach-combers, birders, hunters and many, many
others are all constituents of the land bank and all deserve to have some land set aside for their specia]
needs.
'l~he land bank's private-sector counterparts, fortunately, help out. Private trusts on the island such as
the Sheriffs Meadow Foundation and the Nature Conservancy specialize in creating wildlife sanctuaries
of their lands; their extraordinary work across the Vineyard frees the land bank to pursue a more diverse
mission, where some land bank properties are reserved for wildlife while others are used for agriculture,
hunting and/or many other types of conservation uses.
Balance is key in land bank property management. Environmental protection leads the list of land
bank goals with public access encouraged where and when possible. Trails avoid sensitive areas. signs
advise of special precautions visitors need take, and attendants are hired when necessary to oversee use.
The land bank is a rare breed. Neither a sanctuary program nor a park system, it is a middle ground
where the highest virtues of conservation can be realized: public enjoyment of nature, where limits and
restrain secure the natural world's future and prosperity.
VISITING LAND BANK PROPERTIES
Land bank properties are, except during the hunting season, open daily to the general public from
sunrise to sundown. Trails are marked throughout and boundary markers indicate where public land
ends and private land begins.
The land bank posts map signs at many properties' trailheads and is installing others where needed.
Hand-held maps of each property showing their trail networks and natural features are available at the
land bank office and at some trailheads.
The land bank has begun to make a number of its properties more accessible to people who use ,
wheelchairs and to people who have difficulty walking or other disabilities. Pecoy Point Preserve (off
Pulpit Rock Road in Oak Bluffs) and Greal Rock Bight Preserve (off North Road in Chilmark) feature
http://www.mvlandbank.com/infopage.htm 4/28/2005
About the Land Bank Page 2 of 2
boardwalks, hardened trails, and parking spaces designed to accommodate those with mobility
impairments. Great Rock Bight Preserve also offers an accessible toilet. Chappy Point Beach in
Edgartown features an accessible trailhead and boardwalk with views of Edgartown harbor. The slopes
and surfaces of these trails may still pose difficulty to some disabled visitors; some disabled visitors may
require assistance. Universal access improvements are underway or planned for a number of other
properties, including Farm Pond Preserve, Featherstone Farm, Chappy Five Corners Preserve, and
Duarte's Pond. Call the land bank office for a copy of a map which shows each property and provides
directions.
Guided walks conducted by the land bank's scientific and management staff are scheduled regularly.
The land bank also sponsors aday-long cross-island hike on National Trails Day, which is the first
Saturday in June. Watch the island newspapers for details.
TALK_TO US_
The land bank welcomes public input--on all subjects but especially on land acquisition priorities.
"The first item of business at all land bank commission meetings (which take place most every Monday
at 5:00 p.m. at 167 Main Street in Edgartown, Massachusetts) is public input; letters are also accepted.
In addition, a series of public input sessions is scheduled annually in each town in September-October.
Martha's Vineyard Land Bank Commission
Phone: (508) 627-7141
Fax: (508) 627-7415
http://www.mvlandbank.com/infopage.htm 4/28/2005