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8 <br /> Fern Creek Conservation Easement OEM= <br /> (1) the Orange County Board of Commissioners' goal (adopted June 21, 1999) to <br /> identify and coordinate the preservation of the County's most significant natural areas; and <br /> (2) the Land Use Element of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan <br /> (adopted November 18, 2008)with its goal of"Land uses that are appropriate to on-site <br /> environmental conditions and features, and that protect natural resources, cultural <br /> resources, and community character." <br /> (3) the protection of similar Orange County properties designed to protect <br /> conservation and open space values through conservation easements granted to the Grantee and <br /> others in the immediate vicinity of the Easement Area; and <br /> (4)NCGS § 139-2 et seq., which provides that "it is hereby declared ...that the <br /> farm, forest and grazing lands of the State of North Carolina are among the basic assets of the <br /> State and the preservation of these lands is necessary to protect and promote the health, safety <br /> and general welfare of its people... it is hereby declared to be the policy of the legislature to <br /> provide for the conservation of the soil and resources of this State"; and <br /> (6) Article 17 of the North Carolina General Statutes NCGS 113A-240-241, <br /> entitled Conservation, Farmland and Open Space Protection and Coordination, otherwise known <br /> as the "Million Acre Initiative,"which states that the State of North Carolina shall encourage, <br /> facilitate,plan, coordinate, and support appropriate federal, State, local, and private land <br /> protection efforts so that an additional one million acres of farmland, open space and <br /> conservation lands in the State are permanently protected by December 31, 2009; and <br /> (7) the North Carolina Conservation Tax Credit Program, authorized by NCGS § <br /> 105-130.34 and 105-151.12 et seq., which provides for state income tax credits for donations of <br /> land that are useful for fish and wildlife conservation and other similar land conservation <br /> purposes; and <br /> (8) the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, authorized by NCGS § 113A-251 et <br /> seq., which finances projects to acquire land and interests in land, including conservation <br /> easements for the purposes of providing environmental protection for surface waters and urban <br /> drinking water supplies; and <br /> (9) the Soil and Water Conservation Districts Act, authorized by NCGS § 139-1, <br /> et seq., which provides for the preservation of farm, forest and grazing lands; and <br /> Page 3 of 16 <br />