About Us
Mission
The mission of Chester County’s Open Space Preservation Department is to maximize the pace of land preservation by providing technical assistance, outreach, and administrative excellence; and leveraging county resources through grants, consultation, information dissemination and innovation.
Program activities include providing staff support for the Agricultural Land Preservation Board, administration of grants to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations, communicating program results to the public, providing technical assistance to current and prospective partners, providing policy analysis and recommendations to the Commissioners, and coordinating with regional, state and federal agencies.
Goals and Objectives
The primary Department goals for 2008 are to:
- Increase the impact, pace, and efficiency of the County's land preservation grant programs.
- Promote transparency and public awareness of open space activities and accomplishments.
- Preserve the integrity of the County's investment in open space preservation.
The primary Department objectives for 2008 are:
- Provide funding recommendations to the Commissioners within two to three months of the grant application deadlines.
- Promote regional collaborative efforts with public and private partners to maximize synergy and leverage in achieving mutually beneficial results.
- To improve administrative efficiency by completing the RFP process for proper procurement of professional services in the area of monitoring, land surveys, and title insurance, as needed to administer the farmland preservation programs.
- Increase awareness of programmatic successes and related public benefits by promoting use of the nature preserve guide, the municipal park guide, and the farm market brochure and maximizing opportunities to spread the good word.
- Increasing the frequency for monitoring previous recipients of County open space and parkland preservation grants.
Our Programs
Agricultural Preservation Programs
The Chester County Commissioners have authorized the Agricultural Land Preservation Board (ALPB) to implement the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program and the Chester County Challenge Grant Program. Through each program, the County seeks to permanently preserve agricultural land by purchasing farmland preservation easements. These programs are structured to work with conservation partners from the Commonwealth and municipalities, as well as with landowners and other private funding sources.
Municipal Park and Open Space Acquisition and Development Program
This grant program offers grant funds to municipalities and land-owning municipal recreation authorities to buy land to support parks, trails and greenways. Grants are also offered for the construction of parks and trails. Projects must provide public benefit and allow public access. To be eligible to receive a grant, municipalities must have an adopted Open Space, Recreation and Environmental Resources Plan and be a land use planning partner with the Chester County Planning Commission.
Conservancy Program (Preservation Partnership Program)
The Preservation Partnership Program (PPP) provides funding to nonprofit conservation organizations and land trusts for land preservation projects. To be eligible for funding, organizations must be classified by the United States Internal Revenue Service as private nonprofit organizations, be incorporated for at least five years, and have land preservation as a primary part of their mission.
