To the editor:

Maynard Thomsons thoughts on the county farm continue to concern me. His letter to The Conway Daily Sun on Feb. 3 detailed, yet again, his thoughts on why the farm should be sold to the highest bidder, ideally for development.

Mr. Thomsons articulate letters to the editor indicate that he has spent a good amount of time pondering this subject but still, I feel the need to offer another viewpoint: conservation.

The county farm and lands represent 894 acres of farm and forest land owned by the great taxpayers of Carroll County. It is something that I, as one of those taxpayers, take great pride in. Not only do these lands hold great potential to be central to a burgeoning local foods movement, they offer much more to the area ecologically.

Well-managed farmland and forests are some of the best ways we can protect our watershed, sequester carbon, and maintain viable wildlife populations. These open spaces act as natures wastewater treatment plants, soaking up excess nutrients and sediment before they become an issue in our waterways. They offer prime habitat for grassland birds and other species that help pollinate our plants and control pests. There has been much research on how to quantify the value of such ecosystem services. The USDA Forest Services Payments for Watershed Services is a great example of how we can give monetary value to the services that forests and wetlands provide. Though I am not suggesting that implementation of such a program should be on the agenda for the Carroll County Commissioners, I do suggest that taking into account how the taxpayer benefits from undeveloped land is critical when trying to achieve the actual opportunity costs Mr. Thomson is concerned about.

From another angle, open spaces such as farms and forests here in Carroll County not only help maintain water and air quality, they are the backbone to our tourism-based economy. These spaces are so important that many of our regions economic development plans have specifically included the preservation of farm and forest lands within their strategies.

The North Country Councils Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy notes that the North Country is a working landscape of successful farms and actively managed and productive forestland in which soil, water, and related natural resources are conserved using sustainable practices and notes that a working landscape reflects the preservation of open space through support of natural resource industries and is one essence of rural character. In a natural resource dependent economy, it is especially important to manage resources for long-term gains.

While Ossipee is not identified as part of the North Country, I think its message is quite applicable to the county farm.

We would be wise to carefully consider the impacts of our land use decisions on the ecological health of our natural resources, and therefore, our economy.

Jessica Wright

Conway

See more here:

Jessica Wright: Well-managed farmland benefits community, watershed - Conway Daily Sun