Land Use Leaders Rally Scheduled

The Building the Skills of Land Use Leaders Rally takes place Aug. 6 at the Holiday Inn West Conference Center, 7501 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing.  This 3rd Annual Rally is open to anyone wishing to increase their understanding and effectiveness of land use and farmland preservation efforts and is designed to provide the tools to see results.  Highlights include:

Rally participants will be the first in the State to complete the “What Michigan Wants” Visual Preference Survey, which measures respondents’ reactions to various land use and housing scenarios, and also recommendations of the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council.  This Visual Preference Survey is a joint project by the Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance, the Michigan Association of REALTORS, and MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and funded by People and Land, a W. K. Kellogg funded land use funding agency.

Training, both beginning and advanced, on creating a local purchase of development rights (PDR) ordinance.  Sample surveys and ordinances will be provided to the Rally participants.

Registration is from 8:30-9:30 a.m.  The program begins at 9:30 and concludes at 4:30 p.m. with an ice cream social.  The cost is $50 per person.  Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance members enjoy a $15 registration discount. (MFCA membership starts at $25.) The registration deadline is July 30.

The first 100 people who register will receive the new “Agricultural Land Preservation Tools in Michigan” DVD at no cost. The DVD covers:  Michigan’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program (better known as P.A. 116), Michigan’s Purchase of Development Rights program, the Michigan Agricultural Preservation Fund, local Purchase of Development Rights programs, local planning and zoning, and farmland development rights donations to land conservancies.  The 30-minute DVD was sponsored by MFCA, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the following County Farm Bureaus:  Allegan, Gratiot, Ingham, Iron Range, Isabella, Macomb, Midland, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ottawa, Washtenaw and Wexford.  It was produced by the Michigan Farm Bureau Video Services Department.

To register for the Rally, print out the registration form or contact Joyelle at (800) 292-2680, Ext. 5047.