Land Acquisition Selection Committee

The Land Acquisition Selection Committee (LASC) was established as part of the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program to assist the County in implementing the voters’ mandate. The purpose of the LASC is to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners a list of environmentally sensitive lands for potential acquisition.

Annually, the EEL program considers proposed acquisition sites by the public. Proposals by government agencies are reviewed semiannually.

Each site that is proposed for acquisition is evaluated on the basis of its biological characteristics and viability, the vulnerability of the resource to degradation, and the feasibility of managing the resource. The LASC then conducts a public hearing to consider the County's recommendations and the public's comments on the proposals.

The LASC prepares recommendations on each proposal, which are forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners. As part of its review, the LASC visits each proposed site. The Committee has visited more than 100 proposed sites since its creation in the early 1990s.

The LASC is made up of seven citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. LASC members must meet specific qualifications for committee membership and adhere to strict attendance and reporting requirements.

• Endangered land acquisitions