Recession A Boon for Land Preservationists

"The purchases by conservationists and state and local governments assure that thousands of acres will be put aside in perpetuity for parks, watershed protection or simply preservation of open space.

'We are getting a second bite at properties that never should have been developed in the first place,' said Will Rogers, president of the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit group that buys land for preservation. 'We are working on dozens of these deals across the country, and I know other land trusts are as well.'

Although the bubble burst in 2008, it was only in the last six months to a year that many developers and banks became desperate enough to slash prices deeply enough for the trusts, Mr. Rogers and several other conservationists said."

Stalled housing projects and abandoned subdivisions are being bought by these groups and turned into parks and preserves all across the country.