St. Lucie County Holds Workshops On Western Lands Study
January 5, 2010 by St. Lucie Times Staff · Leave a Comment
St. Lucie County has embarked on the study of the County’s Western Lands to help guide the future of land use and agricultural impacts in those areas. A series of educational forums will be held to educate the public about the options and opportunities for these agricultural lands.
- Thursday, Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Economic Development Tools for Sustaining Agriculture. Featured Speaker: Bob Wagner, senior director of Farmland Protection Programs for the American Farmland Trust. Topics: Ecosystem services, buying local/community-supported agriculture/connecting local agriculture with residents, Farm Bill cost sharing, review and summary of IFAS bio-fuels workshop.
- Thursday, Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Land Use-Related Tools for Sustaining Agriculture. Featured Speaker: Tom Daniels, professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of “When City and Country Collide: Managing Growth in the Metropolitan Fringe” and co-author of “Holding Our Ground: Protecting America’s Farms and Farmland and The Environmental Planning Handbook for Sustainable Communities,” published in 2003 by the American Planning Association. Topics: Transfer and purchase of development rights: options and implications, review of Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast Report.
Both of these public workshops will be held at the University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center, 2199 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce. Participants will have an opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with leading experts in planning for agriculture and natural systems conservation. There will be a presentation and facilitated discussion of applying tools to St. Lucie County.
The January and February educational forums are a core part of the St. Lucie County Western Lands Study initiated in fall 2009 by the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners to address the future of its western lands – the agriculture core of the County. The options and opportunities and forum feedback will be further assessed at a Western Lands Assembly to be held on March 6. It is intended that the study will result in a sustainable plan for the County’s western lands that will preserve a functioning network of agriculture, open space and natural areas while providing economically viable options for agricultural landowners, now and in the future.
Please RSVP at least two days before each event to Sarah Smith at (772) 462-2380 or smiths@stlucieco.org. For more information about the Western Lands Planning Study and opportunities for public involvement, go to www.stlucieco.gov/growth or contact Kara Wood, Planning Manager, at (772) 462-1589 or woodk@stlucieco.org.
