AUGUSTA – While conservationists are calling for a $100 million bond to fund the Land for Maine’s Future program, fiscal conservatives fear that the state can’t afford land preservation right now, given the “dire” state of Maine’s economy.

Wednesday, more than 50 people testified on whether to continue funding for the grant program, which provides funds for towns and land trusts to preserve forestland, farmland and coastal properties.

In the seven years since Land for Maine’s Future was created, 115 projects in all 16 counties have preserved, through sale or easement, 192,000 acres. However, the funding approved in a 1999 bond ran out in January. Without a new bond this November, the program will end.

The Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee is considering both Gov. John Baldacci’s $60 million proposal and a $150 million bond previously put forth by Rep. John Richardson, D-Brunswick.

Many people Wednesday urged committee members to strike a balance between the two of $100 million to ensure that funds are available to meet the conservation need.

“Approving a disproportionately moderate request will put at risk our chance to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Richardson.

“Land in Maine is changing hands at unprecedented rates and at unprecedented prices,” added Sen. Sharon Treat, D-Gardiner, majority leader and a co-sponsor of the bills. “So much of what our ancestors took as birthright is at risk as never before.”

Land for Maine’s Future has often been criticized for buying land but not providing sufficiently for its management, so the governor’s bill includes an additional $5 million for the Bureau of Parks and Lands. These funds would be used to create a Sept. 11, 2001, memorial at Capitol Park in Augusta, and to fund infrastructure improvements at state parks and historic sites.

State commissioned studies to price and prioritize capital improvements, as well as projects related to health and safety, such as the removal of lead paint and asbestos, are ongoing, said Sen. Karl Turner, R-Cumberland, advocating the parks funding in whatever bond the committee supports.

Those who have benefited from the Land for Maine’s Future grants traveled from all corners of the state Wednesday to testify in favor of its continuation.

Washburn Town Manager Jim Gardner told legislators how a new recreational trail has added $2 million to his town’s valuation.

“We are the picture of what this thing is all about,” he said.

Marilyn Meyerhans, whose Manchester apple orchard is just a few miles from the State House, told how the program made it possible for her and her husband to buy the farm and keep it a rural island that provides recreational access and wildlife habitat in a sea of development.

Maine needs to preserve its good agricultural land now, or risk losing it forever, Meyerhans said.

Bob Croce, speaking for the Maine Sporting Camps Association, said he and his fellow camp owners depend on Land for Maine’s Future projects to ensure access for the hunting, fishing and hiking that attracts their customers.

Hunters, foresters, a historic preservationist and a poet all added their appeals that the program be continued with as large a bond as possible.

But not everyone believes the time is right for the state to incur additional debt.

Mary Adams of Garland, a well-known property rights advocate, asked the committee to hold off on any bonds until the state addresses a billion-dollar shortfall projected for the next two-year budget cycle.

“Could we have a little reprieve while we catch our breath fiscally? … We’re in a lot more debt than anyone realizes or is owning up to,” Adams said. “Debt for land right now is a frill.”

A work session on the two Land for Maine’s Future bills has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, in Room 228 of the State House.