Open space protection is nothing new in York County. In 1938, the York County Conservation District was founded to promote the wise use of the land, water, and soil to protect the natural resources in York County. Thirty years later, increasing population and diminishing open space led the York County commissioners to establish the York County Parks Department. The first county park, Rocky Ridge, was acquired that same year, in 1968.
The York County Agricultural Land Preservation Board and the Farm and Natural Lands Trust have been working to preserve high quality agricultural and natural area lands since 1990. In 1992, York County adopted its first comprehensive plan with goals to direct growth and development to appropriate locations, to protect and preserve important natural resources, and to facilitate coordinated planning at all levels. An annual benchmark was established to protect 2,500 acres of land annually, but the county has fallen short of that goal for the past 10 years. There is plenty of land to protect, but there has been a lack of predictable, dedicated funding for land preservation.
With the public support for open space protection in concert with their commitment, the York County commissioners took decisive action at the end of 2019. They passed a resolution creating the York County Open Space and Land Preservation Program and dedicated funding in the county budget to preserve open space. The funding will be directed to projects that will meet the benchmark of annually protecting an average of 2,500 acres, specifically through agricultural preservation easements, natural lands easements, and county parkland acquisition. Funds are also designated for the York County Open Space and Land Preservation Grant Program. The grant program will provide opportunities to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for parkland and open space land acquisition. A portion of the funding will be set aside for municipal planning and ordinance updates that support open space protection.
The grant program is now open and will remain open until Wednesday, Sept. 30, with funding announcements planned for October. Readers may consult http://www.yorkopenspace.org for grant program materials and additional details.
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