WHY SUPPORT THE INDIANA LAND TRUST?

The Case of Greenspace

Environmental and Health Benefits of Greenspace

• Forests provide a natural filter for drinking water, and help reduce stormwater runoff, flooding, and erosion.¹
• 1 acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe each day, and eliminates the carbon dioxide of two cars annually.²

Economic Benefits of Greenspace

• Saving land from development is a way to reduce government spending and avoid increases in property taxes. It costs between $1.04 and $2.00 for every dollar of tax revenue to provide services to a typical subdivision.³
• It is cheaper to protect clean water at its source than to build expensive water treatment facilities.⁴
• Companies frequently relocate where their top talent wants to live, which is often places of natural beauty.⁵
• When land is protected, the adjacent land often increases in value by 10-20%.¹⁰
• New homebuyers value trails and natural areas above any other amenity.⁶

The State of Indiana's Natural Areas

• Indiana ranks 46^th in the U.S. in terms of land protected. Currently only 4% of Indiana's land is set aside for recreation or conservation.⁷
• Indianapolis' air quality is the 9^th most polluted in the nation.⁸
• Indiana ranks 41^st in the nation in percentage of its state budget spent on natural resources.⁹
• According to Money Magazine's annual polls, Americans have consistently ranked clean air and clean water as two of their top three choices when determining the best place to live.¹⁰

Indiana's Desire for More

• Two-thirds (66%) of Hoosiers would be willing to pay an extra $10 a year in taxes to fund conservation programs, and a majority would pay $20.¹¹

What are Land Trusts and Why are they Important?
Land trusts are non-profit organizations that work with willing landowners to permanently protect land. Land protection takes place through land acquisition or conservation agreements.

Why the Central Indiana Land Trust?
The Central Indiana Land Trust is the local land trust for Indianapolis and the surrounding area. Since its inception in 1990, the land trust has protected over 3,000 acres including many permanently protected nature preserves that are available for the public to visit. The Central Indiana Land Trust's professional staff works to form partnerships with landowners to preserve land, engage the community in education through outreach activities and workshops, and coordinate stewardship volunteers to restore and maintain natural habitats.

If you believe like we do that natural areas are essential to a healthy environment and economic prosperity, and that people enjoy an enhanced quality of life with access to nature, we ask you to support and be a part of the Central Indiana Land Trust, your land trust.

Sources:
¹ Center for Urban Forest Research, Pacific Southwest Research Station, US Forest Service, Davis, CA.;
² Alliance for Community Trees, 4603 Calvert Road, College Park, MD;
³ Smart Investment Tip: Buy Land by Rand Wentworth, President, Land Trust Alliance;
⁴ "Smart Investment Tip: Buy Land" by Rand Wentworth, President, Land Trust Alliance;
⁵Indiana Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2000 and the Wilderness Society 1995;
⁶ (unknown);
⁷ Richard Florida, Competing in the Age of Talent, at 17 (January 2000) (a report prepared for the Richard; King Mellon Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and Sustainable Pittsburgh).;
⁸ Indianapolis Star article, study from American Lung Association; 10 Center for Urban Forest Research, Pacific Southwest Research Station, US Forest Service, Davis, CA.
⁹ The Institute for Southern Studies, Gold and Green 2000 (2000).;
¹⁰ Parks and Recreation (Kelso & Longview), The Benefits of Parks and Recreation (2002) (http://www.ci.longview.wa.us/parks/benefits.htm) (quoting Money Magazine);
¹¹ Opinion Research & Public Policy Analysis, telephone interview with 500 registered Indiana voters, Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates, Nov. 2004