Dunevitz views these small areas as pieces of a puzzle. Despite the metro region's growing sprawl, which has consumed more than 250 square miles of farm fields, pasture, and wood lots over the past 30 years, many conservation tools now exist to help communities preserve land. Through conservation easements, landowners can limit how their land is used even after it's sold. Through acquisition, a government or private conservation organization can guarantee good stewardship of a piece of land. Through the purchase or transfer of development rights, protective limits can be enacted in an area.
Every case is different, but almost all preservation efforts begin with concerned individuals.
Although Dunevitz deals often with local governments, she fields frequent calls from citizens. Once they do that and get the ball rolling, it's amazing how much land citizens can protect if they really want to. All rights reserved.