Open Ground: Effective Local Strategies for Protecting Natural Resources

The preservation of open space has captured the public's imagination. Disappearance of open space is associated with the general degradation of the quality of community life, and in a broader sense, what is happening to open space is what is happening to the local environment. Most books on environmental protection focus on the critical role of federal and state legislation, and agencies in promoting and protecting environmental values. When one turns to the subject of open space protection, the role of local governments, their legislatures and administrative bodies, is paramount. Local governments in most states have been delegated primary responsibility for determining how private land is developed and conserved. The result being that when requests for local approval of development projects are made, local boards do not have the power to properly protect their environmental resources. Despite this reality, there is no comprehensive source of information about strategies available to localities to protect the environment. Open Ground: Effective Local Strategies for Protecting Natural Resourcesis designed to fill that void. It is offered with the knowledge that properly drafted land use ordinances, land acquisition programs, and smart growth strategies can protect critical landscapes and valued natural resources. These initiatives can counter the negative effects of polluted run-off, erosion and sedimentation, habitat removal, wetland disappearance, and water quality degradation that comes from the improper location of buildings and other improvements, poorly managed site clearance and management, and environmentally insensitive construction practices.John R. Nolon is the author of 'Open Ground: Effective Local Strategies for Protecting Natural Resources' with ISBN 9781585760558 and ISBN 1585760552.