Preserving the Avon Hills Landscape

Overall Project Outcome and Results
The Avon Hills Initiative is a group of local citizens interested in preserving the rural nature of the 50,000 acre Avon Hills 15 miles west of St. Cloud. The group helped steer this project made possible with Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund support. Saint John's provided the staff and fiscal support. This project had three goals:

1. Increase the level of interest and understanding of all citizens and landowners interested in the Avon Hills, mostly through conferences. Outcome: Three day-long conferences were held with nearly 900 total attendees indicating very strong local support.

2. Negotiate and complete acquisition of permanent conservation easements. Outcome: Six conservation easements totaling 400 high quality forest, wetland, and grassland acres in Stearns County were successfully enacted. Two of the easements, totaling 99 acres, were purchased, and four of the easements, totaling 301 acres, were donated by the landowners. These acres contain a total of more than two miles of shoreline on streams, ponds, and lakes, and provide habitat to a variety of species, including several of greatest conservation need. Additionally, through this process we tested a new method for prioritizing and acquiring easements for the best value. Called MMAPLE, the Minnesota Multi-faceted Approach for Prioritizing Land Easements, the system weighs the measurable environmental benefits against the cost that the current landowner wants to provide a permanent easement on that land. Using sealed bids, each landowner chooses their own price which results in lower costs and fewer complaints from landowners and taxpayers about the "fairness" or "price" of the easement process.

3. Provide support for township and county officials to review and change zoning and ordinances that impeded protection of the open space. Outcome: Two "conservation design" conferences for officials and the public as well as reviews of the existing ordinances by professionals resulted in positive feedback from the participants. This gradual education helped create sufficient support for Stearns County to pass a land-use ordinance that requires new housing developments in the Avon Hills to permanently preserve at least 80% of the land. This is believed to be the highest standard in the United States.

Project Results Use and Dissemination
The success of the land use concepts used in the Avon Hills of Stearns County to preserve open space and working forests and farms has been disseminated in a variety of ways. Staff, officials, and citizens have been asked to discuss the concepts with neighboring county officials and at professional meetings.

Todd County, a neighboring county, sent several officials to the land use conferences and has gradually begun to implement similar practices in their county.

The MMAPLE method developed under this grant is being used to apply for a Outdoor Heritage Fund grant for more easements.