Ray K. Belknap This is Me

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1. 1. Heritage Shared Past Events

   www.heritageshared.org/docs/pa - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/17/2008   Last Visited: 7/17/2008

   Ray Belknap presented "The Power of Place," along with his unique slides.
   
   One of the nation's pioneers in landscape study, Ray recently retired after fifteen years as the Director of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo.He continues to pursue his lifelong curiosity about the sense of place, particularly in rural areas.

2. 2. Staff - Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo

   www.special-places.org/staff.h - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/22/2003   Last Visited: 4/20/2005

   Left to right, front to back: Wendy, Brian, Jasmine, Crystal, Paul; Matt, Jeremy, Bob, Ray, Mark
   ...
   Raymond K. Belknap - Conservation Director

3. 3. San Luis Obispo Tribune | 02/03/2005 | Steward of county land steps aside

   www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanl - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/3/2005   Last Visited: 2/3/2005

   Belknap pursued a 'complete conservation' approach that included outreach, restoration work and land-use planning
   ...
   Ray Belknap stepped down at the end of January as executive director of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo, a post he has held for 15 years.During that time, Belknap transformed the conservancy from a fledgling organization to one of the county's most successful nonprofit groups with 11 full-time employees.
   
   "Ray's held the whole organization together for many years," said Gary Felsman, president of the conservancy's board of directors.
   ...
   Brian Stark, a 10-year veteran of the group, will replace Belknap as executive director.
   ...
   During his tenure, Belknap developed a policy he called "complete conservation" for the group.
   
   Unlike many large land conservation groups that concentrate on acquisitions, the Land Conservancy pursued all aspects of land preservation, including planning to promote good land-use policy, acquisition of key parcels, restoration work on degraded landscapes, and community outreach, such as the annual Creek Day celebration.
   
   "It takes all four parts," Belknap said."You have to have the community's support if you are going to get anywhere."
   
   Belknap also earned the trust of landowners who came to the conservancy to talk about finding ways to protect their land from development and, if possible, keep it in the family.
   
   "Ray was extra mindful of working in confidence," Stark said.
   ...
   Ray was really good at that."
   
   He also developed a reputation for being an innovator.He pioneered the practice of transferring development credits from one parcel to another in order to conserve some parts of the county while promoting higher density in others.
   
   While the Transfer of Development Credit program has had its controversies and setbacks, some 5,000 acres in the county have been conserved using this method.
   
   "Nothing ever seemed impossible to Ray," Stark said.
   ...
   Like many land trust directors, Belknap has tried to avoid controversy.He did not take stands in land-use fights, such as the recent Hearst Ranch conservation deal.That is the role of the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo and other advocacy groups, he said.
   
   "It takes both kinds of organizations to make it work," Belknap said."It's a complementary relationship."
   
   But controversy managed to find the Land Conservancy.The Transfer of Development Credit program worked well in some communities, such as Cambria, but fostered resentment in others, such as Nipomo, where residents felt they were assuming too many development credits.
   
   "It's been a cross for years and a controversy that never ends," Belknap said."I'd think again before taking that on."
   
   One of the reasons the group decided to do the restoration of the Octagon Barn in San Luis Obispo was to remind the community of its core mission of saving special places in the county.
   
   Another lament of Belknap's is his reluctance to develop partnerships with other groups, particularly the larger national ones active in the county, such as The Nature Conservancy and the American Land Conservancy.As a result, he developed a reputation of being aloof, said Pam Heatherington of ECOSLO.
   
   "It was hard to get to know him," she said."You kind of knew what he did from afar.I wish we'd collaborated more."
   
   Staying active
   
   Belknap said he decided to retire because the Land Conservancy is in a good financial state.His passion has always been restoration, and the group needs someone who can concentrate on the administrative end of the business.
   
   "The responsibilities of running a nonprofit are amazing," he said."They need someone there who wants to do it."
   
   Belknap plans to stay active in the Land Conservancy even though he is no longer executive director.The Octagon Barn and the Bob Jones City to the Sea Bike Path between San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach are two projects he wants to see to their completion.
   
   A visit to Belknap's San Luis Obispo home should leave no doubt in any visitor's mind how he plans to spend some of his leisure hours.A new 29-foot travel trailer is parked out front.
   
   He plans to live in the trailer while visiting various parts of the country researching rural development patterns for a future book.He also plans to spend more time with his grandchildren.
   
   He will also, no doubt, be a keen observer of land-use and conservation issues in the county he worked so hard to preserve.
   
   "The county is going to look different in 10 years," he said.