In an era of increasing complexity, the majority of local land-use decisions in the United States are made by volunteer citizen planners. Often these elected or appointed volunteers enter their positions with a passion for their communities but without appropriate background training. The Michigan Citizen Planner Program was developed to address…

An Open Space Policy Plan was developed for the State of New Jersey to provide an adequate blueprint for preserving open space and creating a desirable recreational environment in the State in anticipation of expected increases in population and urbanization. Consideration was given to local, county, State, and Federal responsibilities in the…

Using natural resources data from a system developed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, an Extension program to educate public officials who make land use decisions was conducted in a series of workshops over three years. Program effectiveness is evaluated and positive and negative results are noted. (MF)