The Paradox of Open Space Ballot Initiatives in the American West: A New West-Old West Phenomenon?(Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION The use of local direct ballot initiatives to preserve open space is a burgeoning yet paradoxical phenomenon in the American West. These local land conservation initiatives propose to raise taxes (sales, property) or issue bonds in order to purchase private land for public open space in or adjacent to the sponsoring municipality or county. As farmlands, foothill acreage, and riverfront property have given way to trophy homes, subdivisions and strip malls, American western municipalities and counties are finding their once expansive open space shrinking. One response to such growth has been citizen-led proposals for open space initiatives to create expanses of undeveloped public land (Selmi 2001). While there are debates around whether these ballot initiatives are a response to sprawl (Howell-Moroney 2004, Romero and Liserio 2002), it is widely acknowledged that citizens are utilizing this policy making venue at increasing rates in an attempt to by-pass their state and local governments to institute land conservation statutes (Kotchen and Powers 2006, Rabe 2003). These initiatives are a form of direct democracy and reflect a citizen-driven preservationist value regarding the creation of open space in their communities.