Lately I’ve thinking about our environment and the fact that local environmentalists are wasting valuable resources constantly fighting every bit of growth. The resources in question are dollars; money and plenty of it. By some estimates tens of millions of dollars have been thrown away with only attorneys and law firms benefiting.

What I don’t get is that regardless of what the planned development is there seems to always be a lawsuit filed by so-called local environmentalists. These suits are filed without any dialogue to see if local residents have any issues; there appears to be no interest in the value of environmentally responsible projects.

Let’s face it; growth is a fact of life. There is and always will be a certain amount of growth in any community surrounding a major metropolitan area like Los Angeles. It is the duty of the community, developers and area government to plan that growth in a reasonable and responsible manner. It should be a win/win for all involved.

So then why are these environmentalists continuing to waste money on litigation on every project that comes along? Why are they not attempting to sit down and talk with the community and the developers? Well the main answer to both questions is that these folks are not environmentalists; they are no growth proponents or “no-growthers”.

There is a major difference between the two. Environmentalists want to manage, protect and be good stewards of our resources and use positive means to achieve that goal. On the other side, the no growthers don’t want any development of any kind and will waste any and all resources to stop it. Just look at the latest lawsuits over the Riverpark developement in the Santa Clarita.   

One of the more positive ways of preserving the environment is the use of conservation easements and land trusts. It is a positive and productive way to set aside land that will never be developed; similar to the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy or the California Conservancy.

Generally the way it works is that a land owner makes a conservation easement to a piece of property they own and then donates that parcel of land to a land trust, a type of non-profit organization. The donor can continue to use the land during their lifetime and knows that the land will be preserved after they are long gone.

There is also a tax benefit in which a donor can deduct the value of the easement, up to 50% of their adjusted gross income each year for up to 16 years under current tax law. By the way, some farmers and ranchers may be able to deduct up to 100% of their adjusted gross incomes.

The easement is in perpetuity and the land will be preserved; free from future development. That is one productive way of setting aside land and maintaining the natural beauty of an area. This is something that the so-called local environmentalists should step back and look at because the current strategy of litigation is wasteful.

It has been estimated that over the years nearly $20 million dollars has been thrown down a rat hole suing developers in the Santa Clarita Valley. My thesis is that this amount of money would have gone a long way in purchasing land that could have been placed into a trust accomplishing the ultimate goal further preserving our areas natural beauty. This certainly would be a much more positive way for all us to work together to create a beautiful community.

Dave Bossert

Commentary

Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.