This letter calls upon other Members of Congress to make make conservation the centerpiece of the next Farm Bill. The fate of our waters is inextricably linked to land use. The way we alter the land impacts water quality, drainage patterns, streamflow, groundwater recharge, erosion, sedimentation, stream channel stability, flooding frequency, and the quality of aquatic habitats.
Many people believe that sprawl is the inevitable outcome of population growth.
However, careful planning and growth management policies can conserve wildlife habitat and quality of life by focusing development in already settled areas. Before we can stop sprawl we have to understand how it became so widespread. There were a number of crucial smart growth measures recently on the ballots. Costs of Sprawl Learn about just a sample of the negative effects of sprawl that touch everyone. Sprawl is helped along by a series of public policies and government subsidies.