What is LERC?
LERC is a non-profit land trust promoting cooperation between government agencies and the private sector to protect the Lake Erie region's resources.
What are LERC Projects?
LERC's projects promote research, education and sustainable development by pursing conservation easements through the Lake Erie Watershed Conservation Plan and other projects.
What is a Conservation Easement?
A voluntary agreement between a landowner-donor and a land conservancy, limiting the type and amount of land development, yet enabling the landowner to maintain private ownership. Conservancies monitor the land for future use, regardless of ownership, while landowners retain control and property management rights and responsibilities. Landowners may receive income tax deductions and reduce future property and estate taxes while protecting the area’s natural, cultural, and historical resources.
What is the Lake Erie Watershed Conservation Plan?
A multi-year plan based on public input to identify, manage and protect the Lake Erie region's natural, cultural and historical resources. Encompasses the entire Lake Erie Watershed, including the lakefront, streams, and open spaces, in a comprehensive, cohesive way. Identifies and collects existing information on the Lake Erie Watershed. A part of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Rivers Conservation Program, which provides technical and financial assistance to municipalities and watershed support groups to implement planning, acquisition and development activities.
What is an Urban Forest?
An urban forest is "the aggregate of all vegetation and green spaces within communities that provide benefits vital to enriching the quality of life."
(http://wcufre.ucdavis.edu/whatwedo/urbanforestry.asp)