"We live in a rapidly changing society, but parks are that island of security," Loza, whose association is based in Harrisburg, said Thursday. "They're a source of stability."

That could change, he said, if last year's decision by Chester County Court Judge Katherine Platt allowing part of the park to be sold stands. The decision is being appealed, the latest twist in a case both sides say could land in the state's highest court.

The land trust, which represents 75 conservancies across the state, filed a brief against the development in March, the third time in 20 years it has weighed in on a court case.

Downingtown has for decades considered developing Kardon Park, a stretch of ponds, fields, and forests with a paved walking path that many residents cherish for its tranquillity.

Borough officials say the land is also flush with arsenic, iron, and mercury from when it was used it as a landfill in the 1960s.

The contamination would be mitigated under a 2007 sale agreement with developers Jack Lowe and Sarah Peck, who would also maintain about 20 acres as parkland and improve trails, according to the borough. The pair plan to build 300 town houses and 20,000 square feet of retail, with apartments above those shops.

Borough officials have said the project would bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue, plus residents who would enrich the business district just south of the park.

The sale has been tied up in court since 2009, when a group of residents filed a lawsuit. In a November ruling, Platt focused on how the land was acquired - not how it is used - in deciding if it could be sold.

The two sides, which are both appealing, read the judge's ruling differently but agree Platt cleared at least half the park for sale.

That land was acquired through a state land conservation bill known as Project 70. At the request of the borough, the legislature in 2011 lifted the restriction that the land remain open, clearing the way for development, Platt ruled.

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Land trust intervenes in Kardon Park dispute

BROOKSVILLE The owner of property that had been promoted as the site of a mud-bogging event known as the Mud on the Barbee has agreed to pay a fine and meet other requirements after he was issued a stop-work order by county officials.

Thomas H. Malouf faced four citations from Hernando County Development Services when the county discovered what was going on and issued the order. The citations included failure to obtain a conditional use permit for a mud-bogging site, failure to obtain a land-clearing permit, failure to obtain a floodplain permit before constructing a bridge and failure to obtain a permit for the construction of a stage.

On Thursday, Malouf's attorney, Dean A. Kent, faced a special master and agreed to pay a $500 fine as part of a stipulated agreement.

Malouf will have to revise the approval he received from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for a mud bog and agree to use the area for agricultural purposes, such as a cattle pond, said Chris Linsbeck, the county's zoning supervisor. He also will have to use the platform that was to have been a stage for the Mud on the Barbee as a pole barn or other agricultural use.

If the structure is found to be too close to the road, Malouf will have to move it or get a variance, Linsbeck said.

Mike Barbee had been promoting the site, on U.S. 98 just north of Brooksville, as the home of the Mud on the Barbee, a mud-bogging and music event and the backdrop for a reality television show. On the event's Facebook page, Barbee had posted pictures of the work and announced that it would be ready to go by July 4.

His plans have since changed.

Barbee now plans to hold a Fourth of July weekend event at the Hernando County Fairgrounds.

The event, which is scheduled for July 4 and 5, promises mud-truck racing at the fairgrounds arena, live bands, overnight camping and a watermelon seed-spitting contest. A billboard at the fairgrounds pledges more than $12,000 in prize money.

On the Mud on the Barbee Facebook site, Barbee says there will be competition runs inside the arena with film crews shooting footage for the reality TV show. He hopes thousands of spectators fill the stands. Participants will qualify on Friday for a chance to win money on Saturday.

Link:
Owner of land where mud-bogging event was planned fined $500

10 hours ago

Crops grown on "land-grabbed" areas in developing countries could have the potential to feed an extra 100 million people worldwide, a new study has shown.

The improved infrastructure brought about by foreign investment could increase the productivity of subsistence farmlands in countries such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and could mean these lands can feed at least 300 million people around the world. This is compared to about 190 million people that could be fed if the land was left tended to by the local population.

The findings have been published today, 27 June, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters.

The large-scale acquisition of land by foreign governments and businessmore commonly known as land grabbingis a contentious issue, particularly in Africa where a large number of deals have taken place in regions facing food security problems and malnutrition.

Some argue that investment by foreign governments and business will drastically improve crop yields, generate new jobs and bring new knowledge and infrastructure to often deprived areas. Others highlight the fact that any food grown is often exported to other regions and argue that such deals can strip local communities of their land, water and natural resources, leaving them in a far worse state.

In their study, the researchers, from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and University of Virginia, US, quantified the maximum amount of food that could be produced from crops grown on acquired lands and the number of people that this could feed. They also compared the use of traditional farming techniques to industrialised agricultural methods, to come up with the yield gap.

To arrive at their results, the researchers used a unique dataset of all land deals, greater than 200 hectares, which had occurred after 2000. Each land deal included information regarding the spatial extent of the acquired land, the dominant crop, and whether a deal was concluded with a signed or oral contract, or just intended with an expression of interest.

The researchers calculated the potential maximum crop yield from each of these deals and then used the crop's food calories to determine the amount of people it could feed.

If all of the acquired lands were farmed to their full capacitya 100% closure of the yield gapthere would be a 308 per cent increase in rice production, a 280 per cent increase in maize production, a 148 per cent increase in sugar cane production, and a 130 per cent increase in oil palm production, the researchers calculated.

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'Land grabbing' could help feed at least 300 million people, study suggests

Land Clearing update number 3
Just to show what #39;s next. more to come soon. Thanks for watching Leave a Comment///// AND///// Subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching.

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Land Clearing update number 3 - Video

Land Clearing update Number 4
I got alot done today,,More than any other, Up two this point. Thanks for watching more to come,,,, leave a comment////// Subscribe///////////// Lige Bell Bu...

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Land Clearing update Number 4 - Video

I have had the opportunity to drive Interstate 75 from Gainesville to Fort Myers recently and was wondering about all the land clearing along the side of the interstate. Mulch piles from ground up 20 feet high in some places. What's going on? Is this the beginning of some sort of widening project or something other? I have tried looking on the DOT website but was unsuccessful figuring anything out. Friends have noticed the same and no one seems to know why.

Lou Sclafani

The state Department of Transportation is indeed preparing for work on I-75. What you and others have noticed is clearing in preparation for a project to add a third travel lane in both the northbound and southbound directions along I-75. The scope of the overall widening project will extend from Hillsborough County into Sumter County, ending at the I-75/turnpike connection in Wildwood, which, when complete, will provide the public with a continuous six-lane roadway from the Georgia state line to the bay area.

DOT spokeswoman Kris Carson said construction projects from just north of County Road 54 in Pasco County to south of State Road 50 are getting under way and will take about two to three years to complete. Widening of I-75 south of SR 50 and into Sumter County is set to begin in mid 2015, and this phase of work will include reconstruction of the SR 52 and SR 50 interchanges, along with the I-75 widening.

Do we have a date for when the lane closures and other traffic mess on U.S. 19 around Countryside and north of there will finally be done?

Jim Ford

The DOT's project on U.S. 19 from Countryside Boulevard to East Live Oak Street is scheduled to wrap up in October, so we have one more reason to look forward to the start of fall. The improvements include repaving, sidewalk and curb construction, and a traffic signal upgrade at Nebraska Avenue.

Email Dr. Delay at docdelay@gmail.com to share your traffic concerns, comments and questions, or follow Dr. Delay on Twitter @AskDrDelay.

I-75 widening to go from Hillsborough to Sumter 06/25/14 [Last modified: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 4:23pm]

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I-75 widening to go from Hillsborough to Sumter

Land Clearing start of the day
A careful and slow pass around the outside of the field to get started. Got a lot of limbs in the GoPro doing filming this way. Need a lot of time with the skid steer cutter to get the odd...

By: ClearCut8

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Land Clearing start of the day - Video

News Desk

The Star

Publication Date : 25-06-2014

Kulim (M) Bhd says its re-entry into Indonesia last October is expected to expand its oil palm land-bank by some 40,000ha in central Kalimantan and also accelerate its new planting programme.

Kulim chairman Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim said that the target planting for 2014 was 500ha. The first 500ha of land clearing for a new planting programme, along with the setting up of an 80ha oil palm nursery, will commence in the third quarter of this year.

Following that, the new planting programme will facilitate between 5,000 and 7,000ha per year.

The groups move to secure additional land-bank via its 74 per cent stake in PT Wisesa Inspirasi Nusantara is key to growth for its plantation segment, he said after Kulims AGM and EGM yesterday.

As we expand our oil palm land-bank, we remain resolutely focused on managing our cost of production to maximise margins and profitability, while at the same time abiding by the principles of sustainability, Kamaruzzaman said.

He explained that owing to limited land in Malaysia, Kulim needed to diversify its geographical presence into other locations. Currently, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands remain the key driver for the group, contributing 90 per cent to revenue in 2013.

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Malaysian plantation form Kulim to expand land bank in Indonesia

PETALING JAYA: Kulim (M) Bhd says its re-entry into Indonesia last October is expected to expand its oil palm land-bank by some 40,000ha in central Kalimantan and also accelerate its new planting programme.

Kulim chairman Datuk Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim said that the target planting for 2014 was 500ha. The first 500ha of land clearing for a new planting programme, along with the setting up of an 80ha oil palm nursery, will commence in the third quarter of this year.

Following that, the new planting programme will facilitate between 5,000 and 7,000ha per year.

The groups move to secure additional land-bank via its 74% stake in PT Wisesa Inspirasi Nusantara is key to growth for its plantation segment, he said after Kulims AGM and EGM yesterday.

As we expand our oil palm land-bank, we remain resolutely focused on managing our cost of production to maximise margins and profitability, while at the same time abiding by the principles of sustainability, Kamaruzzaman said.

He explained that owing to limited land in Malaysia, Kulim needed to diversify its geographical presence into other locations. Currently, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands remain the key driver for the group, contributing 90% to revenue in 2013.

Kulims direct land-bank in Malaysia exceeds 50,000ha.

Meanwhile, managing director Ahamad Mohamad said that Kulim was also looking at initiatives to improve the groups financial and operational performance that would enable it to grow on a well-diversified basis.

He said Kulim would be entering a new dimension in its ventures, as the group, together with Indonesian business partner PT Graha Sumber Berkah, would explore strategies to take advantage of the Indonesian governments decision to liberalise the oil and gas (O&G) sector by offering blocks to foreign investors.

Kulim is already involved in the support sector of the O&G industry in Malaysia via E A Technique (M) Bhd (EATech) and Danamin (M) Sdn Bhd.

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Kulim to expand land-bank

Land Clearing GOOD TIMES ARE AHEAD OF US
Good times are ahead of us,, But first the hard work has started well Maybe not hard BUT HOT!!!!!! More to come on this. Thanks for watching ,,, Leave comments,, SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL.

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Land Clearing GOOD TIMES ARE AHEAD OF US - Video