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MODULE-4 Land Use Planning
- Introduction
- Land Use Plans
- Conventional Regulatory Techniques
- Non-Regulatory Techniques
- Regional Coordination
Non-Regulatory Techniques
- Introduction
- Land Acquisition
- Eminent Domain
- Land Donation
- Conservation Easement
- Public Education
- Water Quality Monitoring
- Hazardous Waste Collection
- Contingency Planning
- Incentives Programs
Introduction
Non-regulatory tools provide equally important tools to minimize pollution in sensitive water resource areas. Although a variety of non-regulatory water resource programs are available to cities and towns, municipalities have traditionally focused on the nine categories above.
Land acquisition, land donations, and conservation easements (the following three techniques) are all management techniques that may be more efficiently conducted by non-profit land conservation organizations than by municipalities. These organizations are frequently created as land trusts for particular towns, counties, or watersheds, and often have names such as "Smith County Land Trust," "Friends of Pleasant Lake," or "Jonesville Conservation Trust." These organizations are tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporations. Therefore, donations and bargain sales to the conservation trust are usually considered charitable donations and may have positive federal and state tax consequences. These organizations can provide expertise in arranging land transfers, drafting conservation easements, and explaining advantages and disadvantages of real estate transfers to both land purchasers and sellers; coordinate with and solicit aid from various foundations; and, in some cases, have the capacity to provide funds for acquisition or to serve as land owners and stewards. Some of these organizations can only serve as temporary land owners while others may hold lands permanently.