Conservation group urges more green space in Georgia

ATLANTA - A leading conservation group in Georgia is seeking to save more land from bulldozers than what has already been set aside for green space. <br> <br> ``We don&#39;t think it makes sense to see beloved places disappear,&#39;&#39; Georgia Conservancy president John Sibley said Friday at a daylong conference in Atlanta. <br> <br> ``But more than not making sense, it somehow hurts our heart,&#39;&#39; Sibley said. ``The worst consequence of all would be to wake up one day and find that the opportunity to create a network of green places in Georgia has passed us by.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> About 8 percent of Georgia&#39;s 37 million acres already is protected from development. Sibley said the goal should be to preserve 20 percent. <br> <br> That would mean setting aside an additional 4.4 million acres nearly 7,000 square miles. <br> <br> ``Windows of opportunity are closing fast. The time to act is now,&#39;&#39; Sibley said at the conference held at The Carter Center. <br> <br> According to the conservancy, which has 5,000 members, development claimed an average of 577 acres a day across the state between 1992 and 1997. Sibley urged concerned citizens to lobby elected officials and join a watershed alliance or land trust working to protect green space near their homes. <br> <br> Starting in 2000, Gov. Roy Barnes began setting aside $30 million a year in state funds for rapidly growing counties to buy green space. About 55 of Georgia&#39;s 159 counties participate. <br> <br> But several speakers Friday, including Tricia Allen of the Nature Conservancy, a national conservation group, said a dedicated green fund is needed not one that may vanish when Barnes leaves office. <br> <br> Other states with much more aggressive conservation policies, including Florida, Maryland and New Jersey, have set aside a third or more of their land, Allen said. <br> <br> Barnes told the conference that protecting green space has an economic benefit. People will pay more for homes near green space, just as they pay more for a home on a golf course, he said. <br> <br> ``I know it works. I also know it&#39;s a good investment for local governments,&#39;&#39; the governor said.