Orange County NC Website
38 <br />~IENIORANDUNI <br />To: Board of Commissioners and yfanager <br />From: Alice Gordon ~~IG <br />Subject: Comprehensive Resource Conservation Program <br />.Date: say 25, 1998 <br />In considering our Goals and Objectives, I have proposed that the <br />commissioners form a new Environment and Resource Conservation <br />Department rather than a new section of the Planning Department. One of the <br />casks of [hat new department would be to devise and implement a <br />comprehensive resource conservation program. The purpose of this memo is <br />to describe chat program and suggest a method for its implementation. <br />COytPREI~[ENSI~ RESOURCE CONSERvATIO?~ PROGR4M <br />Rationale <br />Orange County's natural resources, and other resources, are <br />disappearing at an alarming rate. For example, in the last decade 10 percent of <br />the county's prime forest land has been lost. The county commssioners could <br />actively work to slow this trend by initiating, finanting, and implementing a <br />comprehensive resource conservation plan for Orange County. The plan <br />should include conservation not only of forest land. but also farmland and <br />historic sites and other significant resources. <br />Elements of the Program <br />School/Park Acquisition (existing oolicv) Purchase of park sites <br />which can be used Inter for schools or for schools in combination with parks. <br />Financed by reserving the equivalent of one cent on the taY rate: <br />a~ai~; ition of Other Sigpificant County Resources Purchase of parcels <br />significant for their natural resources or for other valuable features. <br />Financed by continuing to reserve the equivalent of one cent on the tam rate, <br />gad then leveraging these funds by seeking grants from available state funds <br />such as the Clean Water Trust Funds. <br />Further Description of a Comprehensive Resource Con~Servatioa Program <br />As a first step, we could document the loss of natural resources and <br />other resources using GLS maps, and then project what future buildout would <br />be (assuming present trends) in the ne.~cc fifty years. The county has data <br />from the Triangle Land Conservancy documenting the location and extent of <br />the rernafning prime forest land. The second phase of that study will establish <br />conservation priorities for these lands. We also have documented the most <br />significant farmland gad historic sites. With this information in hand we <br />should move quickly to draw comprehensive resource protection maps. The <br />digitized data bases for these .maps will be dynamic and capable of continuous <br />updating reflecting the changes in status. <br />