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CEA 08-26-10 Meeting AgendaCEA Frederick County Conservation Easement Authority MEMORANDUM TO: Conservation Easement Authority FROM: Eric R. Lawrence, CEA Secretary 6---1 SUBJECT: August Meeting DATE: August 19, 2010 The Frederick County Conservation Easement Authority will be meeting on Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 8:00 a.m, in the. Board of Supervisor's Executive Session Meeting Room in the County Administration Building, 107 North Kent Street, Winchester, Virginia. The Conservation Easement Authority will discuss the following agenda items: AGENDA 1. July 22, 2010 Meeting Minutes 2. Update on Potomac Conservancy Activities 3. Fundraising Efforts a. GIFT —Give $1 for Frederick's Tomorrow 4. Next meeting date September 23, 2010 5. Other Please contact the Planning Department (540-665-5651) if you are unable to attend this meeting. ERC/bad CIO Frederick County Planning Department, 107 North Kent Street, Winchester, VA 22601 (540-665-5651) MEETING MINUTES OF THE FREDERICK COUNTY CONSERVATION EASEMENT AUTHORITY Held in the Executive Session Room of the Frederick County Administration Building at 107 North Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia on July 22, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Diane Kearns, Chairman; Todd Lodge; John Marker; Gene Fisher, Board of Supervisors Liaison; and Charles Triplett, Planning Commission Liaison. ABSENT: Ritchie Wilkins, Vice -Chairman; Jim Lawrence, Treasurer; Robert Solenberger; and Elaine Cain. STAFF PRESENT: Eric R. Lawrence, Secretary; and Bev Dellinger, Secretary III. PUBLIC MEETING: 1. May 27, 2010 Meeting Minutes On a motion made by Mr. Marker and seconded by Mr. Lodge, the May 27, 2010 minutes were approved as presented. 2. Fundraising Efforts a. GIFT — Give $1 for Frederick's Tomorrow Chairman Kearns stated that Mr. Alex Gray of the Planning Department acquired G1FT.org as the GIFT program's domain name, and he also set up a page on the County's web site, which is shown in the agenda packet. She will have the rack cards printed and then start contacting businesses, and she stated that whatever works for the business owner, is what the CEA will support. Chairman Kearns would like to put on the webpage a way to collect e-mail addresses of people who are interested in conserving rural land. Mr. Lawrence stated that Mr. Gray has set up a PayPal link and he's working on the listserve, so people can give us their e-mail address if they want to have updates and it will be e-mailed automatically to the CEA e-mail account. Chairman Kearns is working on setting up a Face Book page. Mr. Fisher feels it's time to get the Board of Supervisors' blessing on this; he'll take the lead and hand out information to the Board on August 11 "' Mr. Lodge feels that people who will be interested in conservation may be business people between the ages of 35 and 55, and some of them don't necessarily use a computer on a daily basis. Mr. Fisher suggested contacting the Chamber of Commerce for business contacts. Chairman Kearns would like to contact eating establishments, like One Block West, who supported "Buy Fresh, Buy Local". Chairman Kearns passed around a Virginia Tech article she cut out titled "Preserving Rural Character — The Middle Peninsula Land Trust" in which it states new Homes equals dollars lost Frederick County Conservation Easement Authority 142 Minutes of July 22, 2010 for Frederick. Chairman Kearns received an article from the Shenandoah County Easement Authority and Virginia Extension talking about easements. Virginia Extension may be an avenue for the CEA to explore to make people more aware of land preservation. 3. Update on Potomac Conservancy Activities Chairman Kearns stated that the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) wants to designate special projects areas and they're soliciting input on where these areas would be. Potomac Conservancy has been working heavily on Cedar Creek and Passage Creek and may submit these to VOF as special project areas. As a reminder, Chairman Kearns brought up the FRPP money which was designated for the Wright property; it's going to expire in March of 2011. If we could find some money to match, the Wright easement could go through; otherwise the federal money goes back. 4. Next Meeting Date August 26, 2010 5. Other There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:35 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Diane Kearns, Chairman Eric R. Lawrence, Secretary Frederick County Conservation Easement Authority 143 Minutes of July 22, 2010 19 West Cork Street • Suite 201 • Winchester, VA 22601 a 540.667.3606 www.potomae.org SPECIAL PROJECT AREAS The Board of Trustees of the Virginia Outdoors foundation may designate areas as Special Project Areas. Special Project Areas are particular geographic regions of the Commonwealth where protection through casements is especially warranted, and where the Foundation expects to concentrate resources. One or more of the following factors may aid in justifying the designation of Special Project Areas: A. The area is of statewide natural, scenic, historic, scientific, open -space, or recreational significance. One or more of the following documents may help identify such significance: • The Virginia Outdoors Plan; • The locality's Comprehensive Land Use Plan; • Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas Study; • Division of Natural Heritage database; • The Virginia Landmarks Register; • Other statewide or federal planning documents. B. Local landowners have indicated their support. C. A local land trust, conservation group, other organization, or State or Federal agency has expressed an interest in working with VOF to encourage protection of the area. D. The local government has indicated an interest in protection of the area through easements. Special Projects Area Designation What does it mean for me? What is Special? The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) has begun to recognize places throughout the Commonwealth where important natural, scenic, or historic values warrant special protection. The Foundation expects to concentrate its future resources on conservation easement protection in these Special Areas. Why do we need special protection areas? Virginia Outdoors Foundation is by far the largest land trust in Virginia. It holds over 3,000 easements, protecting more than 583,000 acres across the Commonwealth. Special Protection Areas will help VOF focus limited resources more strategically. What would Special Area designation mean for me the landowner? If you are interested in protecting your property with a conservation agreement, • Your property would rank higher (wNOF) than a similar property outside of the special area. • Properties less than 100 acres located in Special Areas would meet VOF criteria while sinmilar properties outside the Special Area would not. • Easement agreements on properties located in Special Areas would be strengthened by the designation. If you are not interested in protecting your Iand or do not own land that would qualify for an easement, this will not affect your property. However, it could help protect your neighbors land, or land in your community. What wouldn't Special Area designation do? • It would not guarantee your property's qualifications for an easement. • It would not require you to do anything? • It would not give the state or the county any additional rights to your property or allow anyone to tell you how to manage your property. • It does not have anything to do with other state or federal initiatives, programs or regulations. • It would not change the appraised value of your property or the value ($) of your easement.