Under New York State’s Open Space Conservation Plan, the State acquires parcels of land to help protect water quality, promote outdoor recreation and achieve other conservation goals. We examined land acquisitions made under the Plan by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. We found that the two agencies generally complied with statutory and other requirements in their land acquisitions. However, the agencies used different approaches in arriving at a price offered to sellers, and did not document the reasons why particular third-party intermediaries were used for certain acquisitions. We recommended that the agencies work to establish uniform price-offer practices and fully document why third-party intermediaries are involved in acquisitions. We also recommend that the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation develop an automated information system for tracking acquisitions made under the Open Space Conservation Plan.

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