BUT (and there had to be a “but,” didn’t there?), we can’t sit back and say we’re all set now. Strafford has another most important resource that we still need to protect! This resource is becoming even more important with the current economic difficulties we are facing and may become not only important to us, but essential. Fortunately, Strafford still has a great deal of this high quality resource, but not much of it is protected. It is our farm lands—our still open fields and our valuable farm soils, even those that may have become reforested. Our Master Plan repeats in many sections the goal of maintaining our rural atmosphere. Even though so many of our old farms no longer pasture dairy herds, it is across those open fields that we have the lovely long vistas to our hills and beyond that create so much of the Strafford atmosphere. And a host of wildlife wouldn’t have a clue about living in a forest—those critters need the fields.

And is it possible that we may need the fields for local food production? Buying an apple that has a cross-the-world transportation cost attached to it may not be the best option in a not so distant future. It was the oil embargo in the 70’s and rising transportation costs then that made Congress consider the need for us to be able to feed ourselves at home. The Farm Bill of the early 80’s addressed that with money dedicated to protecting U.S. farm land. A version of that has just passed again in Congress.

As you know, in this column we have celebrated landowners who have generously given up their development rights for nothing. Naturally, however, there are folks who must realize some cash if they give up those rights. The U.S. Government, Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, and the Strafford Conservation Commission all recognize this. If you are the fortunate owner of some beautiful Strafford farm land and would like to discuss conservation options for all or a portion of your property, please call Dan Kern at Bear-Paw, 463-9400; or Liz Evans, Strafford Conservation Commission, 664-2192, ext. 13. You could also call Phil Auger of Cooperative Extension and Bear-Paw, 679-5616. They’ll answer questions about protecting other kinds of land as well. Our current sharply rising transportation costs make one seriously consider the ways society may need to reorganize its methods and priorities. Preserving our farm lands and our ability to produce food locally will be a positive action for an uncertain time.