Conservation Tools

This is THE starting point for any municipality in Pennsylvania that wants to perform a COCS study. Provides a step-by-step approach on preparing for, conducting the study, and interpreting your results.

A Workbook for Citzens & Officials is intended to help you conduct an economic analysis of a specific proposed residential development in your own community, using the Per Capita Multiplier method of analysis to predict the impacts on your school district and township or borough government. The model was developed by specialists in Penn State Cooperative Extension. A version of the workbook is available for use on-line, which is quick and easy, though does not have the same flexibility as the paper version of the workbook.

These impacts are significant not only because they affect taxpayers and local residents, but because they affect the ability of local government to respond to the needs of its citizens. Identifying the impacts of different land uses will help you recognize what types of land development and uses should be encouraged in your municipality, and what types should be treated cautiously.

This Report is a preliminary exploration of the inter-relationship between two forms of taxation: the long established land value taxation an the recently emerging eco-taxation. The exploration starts with comparing the distinct nature of the two forms and then the link between them.

14 pages.

More than just pretty places, preserved open spaces contribute to our local economies and property values, they help us save on everything from health care to recreation, and they perform valuable ecosystem services that naturally improve the air we breathe and the water we drink. Included in this library item are both the full study and a study summary.

Conservation Opportunities for Corridor Preservation & Community Development. Route 41 passes through or near nine communities that contain extensive prime farmland, currently threatened by development. This repory dummarizes what is known about the relationship between roadway improvements and land use changes and iIdentifies some of the tools and resources that can be used to influence:

Although the primary reason to protect important parts of the community is to ensure a high quality of life, saving land saves money for taxpayers. Land preservation is an investment in your community’s future—providing both financial and quality of life dividends. 12 pages.

fact sheet on watershed services