NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jennifer Barefoot jbarefoot@sonoran.org or (602) 393-4310 ext. 2
Project Manager: Andy Laurenzi andy@sonoran.org or (602) 393-4310 ext. 1
New Report Highlights Challenges and Opportunies of Western State Trust Lands
Land managers using innovative approaches to better meet the needs and interests of communities
PHOENIX (September 28, 2006) — Comprising 46 million acres of land in nine Western states, state trust lands are under increasing pressure from growth and shifting economies. A new report issued by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, State Trust Lands in the West: Fiduciary Duty in the Changing West, provides an overview of the complex history, nature, and management of state trust lands in the West, explores the challenges facing trust managers in this changing landscape, and highlights opportunities for improving and adapting trust management while honoring the unique financial obligations of these lands. The complete report is available at www.lincolninst.edu; click on State Trust Lands report in Features.
“Natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and a desirable quality of life are driving unprecedented growth throughout the West, and there has also been a shift to more diversified, knowledge-based economies across the West” said Andy Laurenzi, Program Director with the Sonoran Institute and co-author of the report. “While there has been some financial success with traditional management practices of state trust lands, this growth and economic shift has brought increasing prominence to state trust lands, leading trust land managers to diversify trust management practices.”
“For example, some trust managers are exploring opportunities for real estate development and for conservation of trust lands for their cultural, environmental, and recreational resources,” added Laurenzi.
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy created this report as part of their policy focus report series to call attention to these unique lands and their significant past and future roles in the American West. State Trust Lands in the West: Fiduciary Duty in the Changing West, highlights a variety of innovative practices utilized by state trust land managers to respond to the challenges they face in this changing landscape including:
- establishing comprehensive management frameworks that balance short-term revenue generation with longer-term values;
- using collaborative approaches to trust land management to better meet the needs and interests of neighboring community members, developers, business leaders, conservationists, and others;
- encouraging sustainable and large-scale real estate development activities to accommodate rapid growth in the West;
- supporting conservation projects given the increased demand rapid growth has put on preserving natural areas; and
- introducing comprehensive reforms that expand the flexibility and accountability of trust land management.
The vast majority of state trust lands are concentrated in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. These lands are held in trust and leased and sold for a diverse range of uses to generate income for designated beneficiaries, principally public schools, today and for future generations.
The Sonoran Institute promotes community decisions that respect the land and people of the West. A non-profit organization established in 1990, the Institute provides people with practical resources to create local solutions for using land and water wisely, and how those decisions shape our future. www.sonoran.org
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a non-profit educational institution that offers courses, conferences, research, publications, demonstration projects, and other outreach programs to improve the quality of debate and disseminate knowledge of critical issues in land policy. www.lincolninst.edu
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