The Board and Staff of the Geneva Lake Conservancy wishes to thank everyone for contributing to the success of the recent 25th Anniversary of the Holly Ball! The wonderful guests, tireless volunteers, sponsors and donors contributed to a spectacular evening. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated.

The Holly Ball is a Geneva Lake area holiday tradition, which has benefited the Conservancy's land protection and community service programs for the last seven years.

In particular, the Board and Staff of the Geneva Lake Conservancy would like to thank the following for their outstanding efforts on behalf of the Conservancy and its work.

Save the Date -- Mark Your Calendar for Saturday, July 19, 2008.

Holly Ball may have just ended, but plans will soon begin for the 5th annual Mai Tai No Tai summer party on July 19, 2008. Aside from the date, the details have yet to be worked out, but look to our Special Events page later in the spring for all the upcoming information on Geneva Lake's best summer bash.

The Conservancy thanks you for your support throughout the year, and hopes you have a safe and wonderful New Year! With your help, we can make 2008 great, for ourselves and for Geneva Lake.

For more pictures of Holly Ball, please visit our Special Events: Holly Ball 2007 page.

"Twice Green" - the economics of conservation development

Anytime the word "conservation" is attached to a development, it brings with it a series of considerations that endow it with more power than a simple label. Conservation is more than a name: It is a process, an awareness of environment, culture, and the impact of one's actions, or collection of actions, on a community. Conservation carries with it the weight of conscious forethought and planning. Conservation also carries with it the promise of sustainability. What many people do not know or do not believe is that conservation development also carries an economic promise.

Earlier this year, the Conservancy sponsored an economic study compiled by professors Russ Kashian, Mark Eiswerth, and Mark Skidmore at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Fiscal and Economic Research Center. This study determined that Geneva Lake is worth $321 million in annual economic activity to the local and regional economies of Walworth County. Remarkably, conservation and good development can both benefit from this economic boon.

Conservation and good development are not mutually exclusive; they can achieve a balance with tremendous benefit to the land as well as the wider community, including the developer. As such, conservation development is called "twice green" by the father of conservation design, Randall Arendt1.

How does conservation of land translate into economic benefits? Moreover, do those benefits extend to the homeowners who will later take on the responsibility for this ecologically sound development?

Less to Produce
Does it take more effort to determine where the primary and secondary environmental features of a site are located? Yes. Does it take a bit more effort to plan one's development around those features instead of cutting up a piece of land cookie-cutter style and plopping homesites down regardless of the site's natural contours? Yes. Is it cost effective to identify natural features, cluster homes to maximize the open space, and reduce the amount of re-grading, paving, and general land disturbance? Yes!

According to a 2006 study by Rayman Mohamed2, each lot in a conservation development costs about $7,400 less to produce than a standard development. Additionally, Arendt once saved a Texas developer nearly $250,000 in grading costs by following the lines of the site's existing topography, and in Tennessee he saved a developer $212,000 in street construction costs3. Both times the redesign efforts significantly improved the quality and size of the open space available.

Essentially, with conservation developments there is less dirt to move. Additionally, the infrastructure costs for conservation developments are less, due to clustering of the homesites. Unlike traditional developments that spread across an entire parcel, clustered homes in a conservation development only require pockets of infrastructure, significantly reducing costs.

Price Premium
In addition to saving money in the development of a conservation subdivision, the lure of lush open space and natural vistas commands a higher price in the housing market than a traditional subdivision. Many buyers are willing to pay the same price for a half-acre lot as they would a standard one to five-acre lot. Mohamed's report indicated that conservation developments sold for up to $18,000 more per acre than their traditional counterparts. The idea is simple: Homeowners are not buying half-acre or one-acre lots, they are buying the entire property, on which they have only so much to build.

Sell Faster
Not only do conservation developments cost less to produce and demand a higher price point than their traditional counterparts, they also sell faster. Indeed, Mohamed's report indicates that lots in conservation developments sold in half the time it takes to sell a lot in a traditional development2. Additionally, the value of a home in a conservation development appreciates more and has stronger resale rates3, which will pass along the economic benefit of a conservation development to the homeowner.

Homes in a conservation development offer a unique opportunity for homeowners. In addition to a home, they are buying access to beautiful and often-fragile natural areas, trails, and open space. Buyers are investing in a community, one that often feels closer, bound by a common purpose, one that recognizes its place within the wider community and the natural vistas they are so lucky to enjoy and protect.

Conservation developments blend the ever-present need for communities to expand and the need to protect our precious natural resources. Such developments represent sustainability and responsibility - not only from the developer, but also from the homeowner. While there is a cost associated with buying a home in a conservation subdivision, it is a responsible choice that represents long-term economic and ecological benefits to the community and the land.

~ Katie Sullivan

Next Issue . . .
A tale of two ordinances: conservation development and master planning

1. Arendt, R. (2001). Enhancing subdivision value through conservation design.
2. Mohamed, R. (January, 2006). The economics of conservation subdivisions: price premiums, improvement costs, and absorption rates.
3. Wright, S. (2006). Conservation subdivisions: Good for the land, good for the pocketbook.

All the references above can be found on the "Products" page of Randal Arendt's website, Greener Prospects

Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund Reauthorized for Wisconsin State Budget!

To all those who worked so hard on behalf of the Stewardship Fund, Gathering Waters sends out a hearty thank you! That hard work has resulted in a very important and lasting victory for conservation. Although some elements of the plan may be changed slightly due to some partial vetoes by the Governor, here is an overview of the provisions related to stewardship in the Wisconsin State Budget.

Bonding Level
Funding for the Stewardship program would increase to $86 million in 2011 - a 40% increase over the current funding level of $60 million a year. While some of us would have liked to see a higher dollar amount, we should not underestimate the significance of this increase. As you all know, this year's budget negotiations were among the most contentious in recent history. A funding increase of this magnitude in today's political and fiscal climate reflects is really quite impressive and worthy of celebration.

We are also hopeful that the Stewardship Fund will get another increase in future years - just as when the Stewardship Fund was reauthorized in 1999 at $47 million and received another $13 million increase in 2001.

Grants to land trusts and local governments
Under the budget agreement, the DNR would be required to set aside $12 million a year in matching grants to non-profit organizations starting in 2011. Land trusts currently receive about $8 million a year in Stewardship grants. The budget recognizes our important role as a conservation partner to the state and increases our grant funding by 50%.

Local governments would be eligible for up to $11,500,000 a year. In addition, counties and county forests would be eligible for additional funding under the land acquisition subprogram of Stewardship for the first time.

In addition, the Natural Resources Board could authorize grants to land trusts of up to 75% of the total acquisition costs of a project (as opposed to the current 50%).

Finally, the budget raises the level at which the DNR is required to get a second appraisal for grant projects from $200,000 to $350,000 or more (currently, the DNR must get a second appraisal for all grant projects whose fair market value is estimated to be over $200,000 which has caused a lot of unnecessary delays for land trust and local government projects)

Legislative Oversight
The Joint Finance Committee will have oversight over all Stewardship projects and grants over $750,000. The Committee will have 14 days to raise an objection otherwise; the project can go forward without JFC approval. Unlike in previous years, objections must be made public and five members, including one co-chair of the committee, will need to raise the objection. Once an objection is raised, the committee will have 16 days to vote on the project. This is a major improvement over previous years when projects could be delayed for months on end and one member of the committee could make objections anonymously.

Public Access
The budget clarifies that lands purchased with Stewardship dollars be open to hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking and other forms of outdoor recreation unless it is necessary to close the property to protect public safety or unique animal and plant communities or to accommodate other user patterns. This requirement does not apply to conservation easements. The Department will need to write rules on access, and we will be actively involved in the rule-making process to ensure that land trusts' interests are taken into account in the rules.

The agreement also requires that signs be posted at major entrances to Stewardship lands listing either the allowable or the prohibited uses of the property. The DNR will determine how much detail needs to be on the signs. Easements and the Ice Age Trail, which already is well-signed as a national scenic trail, are exempt from this requirement.

The Future
As you can see, a lot of what is in the budget regarding Stewardship will need to be clarified in Administrative Rule. We recognize that more works need to be done and anticipate being actively involved in the rule-making process, and hope that you all will be too!

Thanks again!

Vicki Elkin
Stewardship Campaign Director
Gathering Waters Conservancy
211 S. Paterson Street, Suite 270
Madison, WI 53703

January 30, 2008 is Conservation Lobby Day. In 2006, the conservation community helped pass the Clean Energy Bill requiring 10% of our energy to be produced from renewable sources. In 2007, the conservation community made a successful push to reauthorize the Stewardship Fund, the most successful land conservation program in our state. In 2008, join conservationists from across the state to help make these priorities a reality:

• Keep the Great Lakes Waters in the Great Lakes by passing the Strong Great Lakes Compact for a Strong Wisconsin, which addresses pressures on water supplies and desires for diversions.
  
• Restore Conservation Integrity by passing the three components of the Hunter, Angler, Trapper Bill of Rights.
  
• Stop Global Warming by passing the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act to adopt a science-based plan to reduce Wisconsin's share of global warming emissions.

You can help make sure these priorities are supported by your State Legislators. Join us for Conservation Lobby Day on Wednesday, January 30th, to tell your legislators why you care about the Wisconsin Conservation Priorities. The event is free, and registration begins at 9:00 am at the Inn on the Park in Madison (22 S. Carroll Street). The program begins at 10:00 am, a box lunch will be provided, and the day ends at 5:00 pm with a reception and Wild Game Feed. For more information, please visit www.conserationvoters.org

It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of long-time Conservancy supporter Richard Ring, who passed away after a brief illness on Saturday, November 3rd. The Conservancy sends its condolences and sympathy to the entire Ring family.

The Conservancy would also like to thank Mrs. Beth Rendall for her outstanding job at compiling a history of the Holly Ball. This year marked the 25th Anniversary, and Beth compiled all the information, stories and pictures featured in the 25th Anniversary Booklet distributed at the Holly Ball.

Stop by the Conservancy for your own booklet, or contact the Conservancy for more information.