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Kirt Manecke is the founder and president of LandChoices. Kirt is a publicist for his full time job. He enjoys nature and uses this blog as a means to inform and inspire action.

Why I Started LandChoices
“As a child I explored woods and orchards. I started LandChoices after seeing these lands needlessly ripped up for “cookie-cutter” subdivisions.

I spent years researching and learning everything I could about ways to protect land. I learned better ways to create neighborhoods that are fair to landowners, developers, wildlife, and neighbors.

Better choices existed, but hardly anyone was aware of them. And misinformation was stopping these better choices from being implemented.

I founded LandChoices to inform planners and landowners about conservation subdivisions – a better way every beautiful place in America slated for development.

LandChoices also informs landowners about using land preservation agreements (conservation easements) to preserve land.

We educate boards of Boy Scout, Girl Scout, YMCA, and other camps about preserving camp lands with land preservation agreements (conservation easements).”

Are McMansions a thing of the past?

All I can say is “Thank goodness!”. I’ve always hated the looks of these out of place, ostentatious, monstrous McMansion homes, especially in rural areas where they are totally out of character with the surrounding landscape. It seems that McMansions are a thing of the past and there is some sort of McMansion backlash going [...]

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Conservation Communities: Creating Value With Nature, Open Space, and Agriculture

I’m elated to announce that I just received a complimentary review copy of the beautiful new book, Conservation Communities: Creating Value With Nature, Open Space, and Agriculture, from LandChoices’ member Ed McMahon. Ed is someone I greatly admire for his wonderful work advancing conservation development. I’ve started to read this sensational book and love it! [...]

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Top 10 Ways to Preserve Land and Water in Your Community

Our new “Top 10 Ways to Preserve Land and Water in Your Community” gives planners and officials in your community an easy guide to preserve clean water, natural areas, wildlife and working farmland by making the following mandatory for new developments in your community: 1. Inexpensive Preliminary Sketch Plan Include a sketch plan of greenway land, [...]

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Envisioning Better Communities review part 2

Envisioning Better Communities: Seeing More Options, Making Wiser Choices, the new planning book by Randall Arendt that I’m reviewing, is a book I have trouble putting down. (Full disclosure: Randall Arendt is a dedicated member of LandChoices. I’m a big fan of Randall Arendt.) I received a review copy of the book from the American [...]

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Tryon Farm conservation community sponsors educational day for kids

Tryon Farm, my favorite conservation community and one of LandChoices’ good friends and supporters, recently sponsored an educational day for the kids of Lydia Home Association in Chicago. I learned about this wonderful event on the Tryon Farm Facebook page. The games and events were successfully led by educators from the Indiana Soil and Water [...]

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Conservation subdivisions: “Do it backward”

The following is a repost from my earlier post (September 4, 2009): I like Randall Arendt’s approach to conservation subdivisions: “Do It Backward”. First, set aside land for conservation. This eliminates the left-over conservation areas that are traditionally created. Last, divide up the land into parcels. This allows the developer to penpoint the prime developable area, [...]

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Urban gardens in Detroit gain popularity

This post is written by guest blogger and friend Kaitlin Slattery. Thank you Kaitlin for the terrific information! In the next year alone, hundreds of acres of urban farms and urban gardens in Detroit will be operational—and those numbers are only growing. In the next 10 years, a vision (see “A New Harvest for Detroit“) [...]

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“Envisioning Better Communities” book is a gem

  Envisioning Better Communities, the new planning book by Randall Arendt, is a gem. (Full disclosure: Randall Arendt is a dedicated member of LandChoices. I’m a big fan.)  This week I received a review copy of the book from the American Planning Association. I will review the book in a series of blog posts. The subtitle, Seeing [...]

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Green development with Natural Neighborhoods, aka conservation subdivisions

Natural neighborhoods, also known as “conservation subdivisions“, “ecological development”, or “green development”, shown in this video, preserve natural areas, water, wildlife and working farmland. Wildlife conservation and farmland conservation are an important part of natural neighborhoods, along with water conservation as large swaths of natural areas filter and absorb storm water. Learn more about natural neighborhoods. [...]

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Visit our new blog to save Boy Scout, Girl Scout and outdoor camps for kids

Visit SaveCamps.org, our new blog to save Girl Scout, Boy Scout and other outdoor camps for kids. Please comment, share, subscribe and help us spread the word. A big thank you to volunteer editor Ken Jacobsen for stepping up and helping make this happen to preserve camps for future generations.

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