USDA Forest
Service
Northeastern Area
Durham Field Office
271 Mast Road
Durham, NH 03824
(v) (603) 868-7600
(f) (603) 868-7604
(tdd) (603) 868-7603
|
 |
FY2004, Second Quarter Update
Forest Legacy Features of Interest
-
President's FY2005 Budget Request for FLP
The President's FY2005 budget proposal, released on February 2, 2004, includes $100,019,000 for the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) and identifies 48 projects for the protection of environmentally important forests. The Forest Service prioritized the projects to be considered for FY2005 Forest Legacy Program funding on January 7-8, 2004.
The next step in the appropriations
process consists of congressional hearings, after
which the House and the Senate will release
their respective budget proposals. A conference agreement
is hammered
out between the two houses before the appropriations
bill is signed into law. In FY2004, program funding was
proposed
at $90,809,000
and was funded for $64,134,000. Projects and administration
costs
totaling $71,134,000 were identified, requiring
that $7,000,000
in unspent prior year funds be used for FY2004 priorities.
-
A Highly Appraised Course
Approximately 30 appraisers attended the "Uniform Appraisal
Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions: Practical Applications
for Fee Appraisers" seminar given by the Appraisal Institute
January 13-14, 2004, in historic Philadelphia. Most of the attendees
were from Northeastern States, but one appraiser traveled from
Sitka, Alaska, and another from Miami. Over 70 fee appraisers attended
another Appraisal Institute seminar in sunny Tallahassee, Florida,
March 23-24, 2004. A number of these courses are being offered,
likely in response to the new Forest Legacy Program Guidelines
dated June 30, 2003, which require all FLP project appraisers and
review appraisers to have completed a course on the December 2000
document Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions,
also known as the "Yellow Book" owing to its yellow
cover. Future courses are scheduled for May 7-8 in Portland,
Maine, and
October 20-21 in Tampa, Florida
Recently Completed FLP Projects
Illinois Says "Hasta LaVista" to Forest Land
Conversion
Conservation of a strategic parcel adds to previous Forest Legacy accomplishments
along the Mississippi River Bluffs. On March 9, 2004, the Illinois Department
of Natural Resources purchased a conservation easement on the 53-acre LaVista
Woods property from the village of Godfrey. Because it is adjacent to the Oblate
Woods Forest Legacy Projects, the acquisition of this conservation easement
is a critical addition to the Great Rivers Bluffs Forest Legacy Area. This
acquisition completes the protection of the entire lower portion of the watershed
of Youngblood Hollow and offers the opportunity to extend the bike path from
the bottom of the Mississippi River bluffs up to the village's recreation area.
The LaVista Woods conservation easement was valued at $330,213; the USDA Forest
Service Forest Legacy Program provided $236,880.
|
|
|
|
