We routinely request that landowners make a charitable gift to us to support our conservation work. We then resell the land to a public agency for the appraised, fair market value, using the gift to help cover the costs of managing the transaction. If the landowner is unable to make a charitable gift to us, the public agency can consider covering our costs through a fee-based consulting agreement. The experiences of dozens of cities demonstrate how economic development follows the creation of well-designed and properly maintained parks. Open space developments attract new businesses and boost tourism, with subsequent increases in tax revenues.
Parks can be the centerpiece for neighborhood redevelopment and revitalization.
Proximity to open areas has also been shown to increase local real estate values substantially. On another note, crime has now surpassed unemployment and economic troubles as the primary concern of most Americans. Nationally, political leaders and community activists are seeing recreation as an effective weapon against crime. Our urban youth crime rate would be different if these programs had not been neglected in the past decade. Without accessible and well-maintained places to recreate, there can be no recreation.