N.C. falling short of conservation goals
Saturday, March 31st, 2007
By Chris Fitzsimon
Cost is major factor, and development runs at a fast pace THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASHEVILLE
North Carolina is well off track of its goal to preserve 1million acres of land by 2009, and environmentalists say that the state should pair more conservation with development as other states have done.
"It’s not ending development, because that is not feasible," said Matthew Schaffer of the Trust for Public Land in San Francisco.
"It’s inevitable. It is how you grow that can be really important," he said
Since North Carolina began the N.C. Million Acre Initiative in 1999, the state has protected about 405,000 acres.
That rate doesn’t come close to matching the state’s development rate of 100,000 acres a year.
The main problem is the rising cost of land.
"One of the major issues is obviously the cost of property is going up and there is not enough conservation funding in order for us to meet our million-acre goal," said Richard Rogers, the state’s assistant secretary for natural resources. "And that has been the case since the beginning." (more…)
Last 5 posts in Daily News
- Drill bits - August 29th, 2008
- Mental hospital to be run by outside firm - August 29th, 2008
- Troxler: Preserve farmland - August 29th, 2008
- Elections board to consider seeking more one-stop voting sites - August 29th, 2008
- NC governor candidates launch new TV ads - August 29th, 2008
Email This Post
Print This Post
