During a research trip for a documentary film I was working on in the spring of 2003, I visited a rancher at his place in New Mexico. He raised Appaloosas, and back in the day before car computers provide directions, he told me to "enter the gate for the ranch just off Industry Road."

Sure enough, I turned into a big industrial park smack in the center of which was the last eight acres of Bob's place. An iconic barn and small pasture were home to a herd of mares and foals grazing in a classic split rail enclosed field. A second perimeter was incongruously erected just beyond: razor-topped cyclone fencing between the horses and the active factories surrounding them. I stayed overnight at the ranch, and even more unsettling than watching the horses graze on so limited an island of pasture in the sunlight was the sight of them illuminated by the harsh nighttime glare of mercury lights in the industrial park, which remained on until dawn. The loss of family farms across America continues.

Congratulations to Thelma and Marty Kiernan on this long-awaited occasion of the assured purchase of development rights for their beautiful Gardiner farm. Gratitude to the feds for putting their agriculture preservation program to work for us. Props to the Open Space Institute, which has once again proven itself the premier funding organization for the preservation of open space in Gardiner. Deep thanks to Gardiner's Open Space Commission, led by Greg Finger, for the hard work and delicate diplomacy required to interface with landowners, underwriters, and the Gardiner Town Board. All the players are unanimous, and correct, in saying that "saving the Kiernan Farm" is a good thing to do. Absolutely, and hooray!

There is less to celebrate, however, in the Town Board's reluctance to include any of Gardiner's voter-approved $1.5 million Open Space Bond in their "commitment" to raise $50,000 as Gardiner's share of the development rights purchase. With great pride, Messrs. Katz, Wiegand, Koenig and Mele extolled this unfortunate choice with repeated statements that "not one dollar!" of local tax money was obligated, and that the funds would be raised from private donors.

Kudos for the pragmatism (or expedience), optimism (maybe cockeyed), and generous instincts that we must assume motivated their choice. I suspect the aforementioned councilmen are correct in presuming this can be accomplished, and hope that Gardinerites have some fun in whatever public fundraising efforts are employed to accomplish this: a talent show, perhaps, or a softball game ("teabags" vs. "socialists" – bring it ON!) or auction. It's likely a few kind citizens with deep pockets will donate most of the money.

The thing is, this is a strategy that will only work once. It eliminates our future options.

The Open Space Bond was intended, crafted, and approved as a means of leveraging money from other sources, whose willingness to partner with Gardiner in the preservation of its open space is predicated on Gardiner's own determination to do so. Obligating a mere $20,000 of bond money, for instance, as part of our $50,000 "commitment" would cost the average taxpayer approximately $1 per year. Or less.

The lack of political resolve to include this in the fundraising strategy makes it unlikely that any investment from federal, state, county or foundation sources will ever be available to Gardiner again. Folks who donate to the Kiernan Farm preservation initiative probably won't pony up again for the next parcel.

Saddest of all, there may never be a next parcel. Other Gardiner landowners with terrain identified as of value to the entire community and seeking to preserve their farm or forest will be hard to convince that Gardiner is prepared to help make that happen. Almost everyone acknowledges that the real treasure we are morally obligated to pass on to the next generations is a healthy planet, and although Gardiner is privileged to have land worth saving, we have now failed to match our rhetoric with our resources.

And that is a shame.