The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has released a new guide that takes a comprehensive look at farmland preservation in the Chesapeake Bay region to enable both farmers and citizens to take action to slow the loss of farmland to development.

“A Guide to Preserving Agricultural Lands in the Chesapeake Bay Region: Keeping Stewards on the Land” provides state-specific details on easements, development rights, planning and zoning regulations, and state and federal land preservation programs.

“This loss of farm and forest land endangers the fabric of rural life, local economies, and the health of the region’s rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay,” said Lee Epstein, Director of CBF’s Lands Program. “This guide outlines the methods, tools, and programs available to help save farmland, and how citizens and farmers can seek change in their own communities.”

Agriculture is vital to the health of the region’s waterways, because well-managed farmland provides a crucial filter to reduce pollution, which developed land, does not. On-the-ground agricultural conservation practices also provide some of the most cost-effective methods to reduce nitrogen pollution, one of the most important problems facing the Bay.

“There is increasing competition for open land, and this endangers a way of life, local economies, and the health of the Bay,” said Lee Epstein, Director of CBF’s Lands Program. “This guide will show farmers and citizens the methods, tools, and programs available to help save farmland and how to seek change in their own communities.”

“A copy of “A Guide to Preserving Agricultural Lands in the Chesapeake Bay Region is available online”

Call April Sheesley, CBF, for more information at 443-482-2150.

8/11/2006