Sprawl Gobbling up California's Open Space

Almost 70,000 acres of open space in California was lost to urbanization from 1996 to 1998, according to the state Department of Conservation's biennial Farmland Conservation Report, (http://www.consrv.ca.gov/dlrp/index.htm) Despite new state and federal programs that offer incentives to keep lands agricultural, nearlytwo-thirds of the newly developed areas were formerly farmland. Farmers assert that farming in the state is increasingly more economically difficult, causing many to sell their farms to developers.The report found that the rate of urbanization was up 25% statewide overthe 1994-96 time period, and Southern California was the most heavilyurbanized region.