A lot of ground to make up on conservation

During his 2009 gubernatorial campaign, Bob McDonnell used Earth Day as a backdrop to bolster his conservation credentials by issuing a news release vowing to preserve swaths of land.

He said that under former Democratic Governor Tim Kaine and House Speaker Bill Howell, the state preserved some 400,000 acres in the state.

"As our population increases, and land is developed in Virginia at a rate of 60,000 acres a year, it is important we continue this bipartisan conservation effort,” McDonnell said. "As governor, I will do so by ensuring we conserve another 400,000 acres by the conclusion of my term in January 2014.”

McDonnell, a Republican, has been in the governor's mansion for more than a year and a half now. So how far has the governor come to protecting those 400,000 acres?

The short answer is not very far.

At a June 27, 2011 press briefing, McDonnell"s natural resources secretary, Doug Domenech,  acknowledged to reporters that the administration had fallen behind in their efforts to meet that goal.

Virginia Department of Land Conservation figures from July 15 -- the latest available -- show the state had 62,019 acres of land. If the preservation continues at that pace for the rest of his term, the state will preserve less than half of the 400,000 acres McDonnell has promised to protect.

Jeff Caldwell, a spokesman for the governor, noted some progress has been made toward reaching the administration"s goal, but he acknowledged conservation efforts have fallen short of expectations.

Given the sluggish economy, Caldwell said the governor has decided to conserve the state's financial resources and not use taxpayer money for land purchases. Instead the state is relying on voluntary conservation easements to protect parcels, he said. Through those easements, a landowner signs over development rights.

"This requires a willing land owner interested in taking advantage of Virginia's tax credit program based on the appraised value of the land,” Caldwell said. "Since appraisals are down due to the slump of the real estate market, fewer land owners are currently interested in taking advantage of the program.”

Despite the slow pace of conservation, the governor's goal is still to preserve the full 400,000 acres during his term, Caldwell said.

But the clock is ticking and there's a lot of ground to make up. At this point we're listing this promise as In the Works.