Resource managers in Wisconsin say the best incentive is cash.
Tax breaks work well, too.
The Burnett County Natural Shoreline Program offers lakeside property owners these incentives, as well as technical assistance and educational information in an effort to enhance shoreline buffers with native vegetation, says Dave Ferris, conservationist for the Burnett County Land and Water Conservation Department, one of the partnering organizations that developed the program as part of the county's land use plan. This is a low cost solution to nonpoint source pollution. The county also provides information to landowners on site planning and preparation, plant selection, and planting. We're finding that even people who consider themselves environmentalists may not understand how to translate their thoughts onto the ground. Participants are required to sign a deed covenant that guarantees the zone will continue to be protected with each new owner of the property, and are asked to install a small sign indicating their participation.