Our Goals
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We've accomplished a lot, but our work to preserve
and enhance Bandy Field Nature Park is ongoing.
Our immediate concerns on the field involve
continued removal of invasive
plants and some additional planting to replace plantings that have died. In
addition, we are in the process of planning a dedication ceremony for the
park.
An important long-term goal is to obtain a conservation easement for the
park.
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The effort to gain a conservation easement on Bandy Field Nature Park
began in 1999 as an extension of the campaign to make Bandy Field an
official city park. After success in that hard-fought struggle, many were
concerned that at some time in the future the ordinance that made the
city-owned property an official park could be rescinded by a cash-strapped
city government that needed the revenue from the sale of property that had
proved to be highly attractive to developers.
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These concerns led to the establishment of a larger, city-wide grass-roots
movement, called “ConservAlliance”: a citizen-based, loosely-knit coalition
of local park support groups, community associations, environmental
organizations, and individuals who saw wisdom in seeking the permanent
protection of city parks that conservation easements would provide,
especially for the parks that were the most vulnerable to development
pressures.
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“ConservAlliance” selected four city properties to target for conservation
easements – two highly vulnerable “city treasures”—the James River Park
System and the new Bandy Field Nature Park, and two other natural tracts
that were not yet designated as parks – the Larus Tract in the 4th Council
district and the Crooked Branch Ravine in the 3rd Council district. The
strategy was to seek conservation easements on cherished natural parks and
undeveloped nature tracts spread around the city that would gain a broad
base of citizen support for the initiative.
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This initiative went as far as a resolution passed by Council directing
city staff to draw up the conservation easements on the subject properties.
Subsequently, City Council backed away from completion of the easements,
citing that granting conservation easements on city property would cause
Council to give up too much of its control over such properties.
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Though that first attempt to secure conservations easements failed, our
efforts continue. In 2004 there was a threat of loss of a small island park
in the James River Park System that the city proposed to give to a developer
as an economic development incentive. This threat led to a renewed desire to
obtain conservative easements to protect city parks, and the grass-roots
“ConservAlliance” coalition was reactivated. The result is that the Richmond
City Council has embraced the need for a conservation easement on the James
River Park System, and the easement is currently being developed. Council is
expected to approve the easement in the Fall of 2006, which opens up the
opportunity to again seek a conservation easement to protect Bandy Field
Nature Park!
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