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The Board has appointed a 19 member Land Acquisition Advisory Committee (the "Advisory Committee") to make recommendations to the Board regarding the purchase of environmentally significant lands, cultural heritage (historic) sites and agricultural lands for conservation purposes, including lands which constitute the Project. The Advisory Committee has broad representation from throughout the County, and its membership reflects a diversity of interests, including representatives of the local governments within the County, environmentalists, developers and taxpayers. Among its duties, the Advisory Committee conducts an annual review and ranking of properties nominated for County acquisition. This ranking is based on established criteria set forth in an Environmental Lands Program .("ELP") Guide, which is a procedural document adopted by the Board. All purchase contracts relating to the program are subject to final approval by the Board at duly advertised public hearings. The objective of the County's acquisition program is to protect environmentally significant lands in the County. The overall policy of the County, as stated in the ELP Guide, is to purchase environmentally significant lands, cultural heritage (historic) sites and agricultural lands when other means of protection, such as zoning or regulation, are not appropriate, available or effective. Although condemnation is a method of acquisition described in the ELP Guide, the County has focused on acquiring properties from willing sellers. Additionally, a variety of funding sources and methods are utilized to purchase properties under the program, including, state grant and joint acquisition programs such as the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) Florida Forever program, the St. Johns River Water Management District land acquisition program, the Florida Communities Trust, which is a non -regulatory agency of the state of Florida, and Florida Forever, which is a state administered program which provides funding for ARC, water management districts, parks and recreation grants, and the Florida Communities Trust. Local funding sources include, in addition to the proceeds of the Bonds, available ad valorem and non -ad valorem revenues of the County and funds which are derived from payments made by developers in lieu of other environmental impact mitigation methods, as provided in the County's comprehensive plan. The Land Acquisition Guide sets out in detail a 7 -phase process for the review and recommendation of land acquisition, as follows: 4