Talking Points

Land and water resources are high-yield investments.

• Ecosystems provide essential services to cities and states, such as water and air purification. Most of these services cannot be supplemented by technology and, if they can, they are extremely expensive.
• Conservation easements over agricultural land ensure the farms are economically viable in the future.
• The loss of farmland and open space often causes unexpected economic challenges for rural communities. In these communities, farmland, forests, ranch land, and open space tend to be the economic drivers that attract businesses, residents, and tourists.
• Conservation increases property values and municipal revenues.
• Businesses and families are drawn to areas with open space.

Conserved land and water resources have important public health benefits.

• Preserving watersheds is the most cost-efficient and sustainable method of ensuring the public has clean water.
• Plants are the world’s air filters and clean air offers important health benefits. Ozone threatens the health of children, the elderly, and people with asthma and other respiratory diseases. Particulate matter actually increases mortality in polluted cities, especially affecting people with underlying heart and lung disease.

Private lands are part of the ecological puzzle.

• Ecosystems crossover from public to private lands.
• Ecosystem preservation is the goal of successful conservation programs. It is a much more effective and economical approach than ad hoc preservation. See our Green Infrastructure Policy Issues Package (Coming Soon) for details.

The Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit builds public support for conservation.

• Protecting open space, parks, and farmland is a strategy that can be used to strengthen existing communities, attract businesses, and avoid the costs of urban and suburban sprawl.
• Having the tax credit available demonstrates the state’s commitment to natural resource conservation, and its willingness to work with the public on the issue.
• In the process of applying for a tax credit, property owners work with state officials and/or a local land trust to create a lasting legacy of land conservation for the state.