Setting Priorities for Land Conservation (1993) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 15-26
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From page 15... ...
Concern about how EWCF funds are distributed by federal agencies and how the different agencies choose acquisitions prompted Congress to ask the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the land-acquisition criteria and procedures of Me four agencies Mat are responsible for the bulk of land acquisition the Bureau of Land Management (BEM) , Me Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
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From page 16... ...
The committee evaluated the land-acquisition criteria of BEM, USFWS, NPS, and USES in Me context of agency missions, the dynamic nature of ecosystems and landscapes, human conservation needs, and changing social objectives. The committee considered patterns of landownership, the many meanings of conservation, and the relationships among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private landowners, diverse populations, and over interested parties that influence the acquisition process.
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From page 17... ...
· The Fish and Wildlife Service maintains the national wildlife refuge system, which has some 89 million acres (approximately 60 million in Alaska) in 472 units; protects nesting and migration habitat for migratory birds; provides habitat for endangered and threatened species and for other wildlife; offers recreational opportunities for the public; and permits other uses of the refuges where compatible with the primary wildlife purposes.
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From page 18... ...
Acquisition criteria may appear in an agency's organic law, as in BEM's Federal Land and Policy Management Act; in general acquisition statutes, such as the Condemnation Act and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Acquisition Policies Act of 1970; in a wide range of programmatic laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and He National Trails System Act; and in a host of project-specific or unit-by-unit laws-the National Park Service alone is subject to more than 40 laws of this sort spelling out He practices of eminent domain. Land-acquisition criteria also emerge as a result of explicit deliberation within and among He agencies (e.g., the USFWS Land Acquisition Priority System CLAPS)
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From page 19... ...
The most successful acquisition criteria examined by the committee were constrained and focused by well-understood policy goals. It is one Ding to look for the best acquisition for a specific purpose, e.g., to maintain an endangered species, protect cultural artifacts, or provide hiking or bicycling opportunities.
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From page 20... ...
Criteria that are either so complex as to defy understanding or so subjective as to permit manipulation are unsatisfactory. Accommodation of variation and change: Any land-acquisition priority scheme intended to function over time confronts a variety of policy challenges, including continuity despite changing conservation needs and values, the capacity to plan for and implement comprehensively while responding to opportunities, and the need to meet a variety of specific and often competing goals.
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From page 21... ...
Planning Versus Opportunity Formal acquisition criteria permit planned decision-making; nonetheless, unanticipated opportunities arise and disappear quickly, and criteria must be responsive. An acquisition program should adhere to a standard planning mode} that includes identification of unambiguous goals, specification of alternatives, and selection of an option that best advances identified goals.
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From page 22... ...
Land-acquisition decisions involve a comprehensive search for prospects, careful evaluation of We costs and benefits associated with serious nominees, weighing of alternative choices, and selection of the best candidates measured against criteria. But opportunism still has a role in the land-acquisition policies of a nation Mat was Me reluctant recipient of the Louisiana Purchase and called the purchase of Alaska "Seward's Folly." Acquisitions involving opportunistic land exchanges can be almost entrepreneurial endeavors, partly because land acquisition through exchanges presents issues and functions that generally do not conform to established systems for setting priorities.
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From page 23... ...
The distinction between the rights of public and private landholders is becoming less obvious. Public and private ownerships are evolving and converging, with private rights emerging in the public lands, and public obligations appearing in~the private sector.
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From page 24... ...
Policy based on condemnation has many implications, including a low tolerance for inholders and unwilling sellers; indeed, the popular perception of condemnation proceedings presumes an unwilling seller versus the government. But condemnation can be undertaken between a willing seller and the federal government In a prominent example of accommodation, the committee was advised Cat NPS has moved gradually from a policy of attempting to remove all infolders to a policy of removing only those infolders whose uses are incompatible with management objectives.
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From page 25... ...
Land-acquisition criteria should deal openly and explicitly with differences in value between the parcels competing in He priority scheme and convey adequate and meaningful information on value to He interested public and to Congress. The result of applying the criteria should be an efficient allocation of limited funds, providing the most gain to the nation for its investment.
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From page 26... ...
This report starts by placing federal land acquisition in a historical and thematic context (Chapter 21. It describes the extent of the federal lands, Weir relation to other lands, and the broad purposes of federal land acquisition.
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