Conservation lands serve a myriad of vital purposes. And, there's more.
Many states now consider conservation lands to be top income generators.
Directly, they provide income from recreation use. Indirectly, the mere proximity to conservation lands can send property values and taxes soaring. A recent report by the University of Montana showed that land prices around public conservation areas are among the highest in the nation. Residential property costs as much as one million dollars an acre in Wyoming, Maine and the Virgin Islands. And yet, the National Park Trust has discovered the dream has gone bad, turned into a nightmare.