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COUNTY OF ORANGE <br />DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE, <br />PARKS AND RECREATION <br />I►fI u • ► l u l <br />To: Board of County Commissioners <br />Michael Talbert, Interim County Manager <br />From: David Stancil, DEAPR Director <br />Rich Shaw, Land Conservation Manager <br />Date: April 8, 2014 <br />Subject: State of the Environment 2014 and Environmental Summit <br />The Orange County Commission for the Environment is working on its State of the <br />Environment report —a report that that began in 2000 and has been updated every <br />two or four years since then (2002, 2004, and 2009). <br />The report is prepared by the Commission for the Environment and DEAPR staff, but this <br />time we also received help from a graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill — Malcolm <br />Munkittrick —who worked with DEAPR in the summer of 2013 as a Research Associate. <br />The State of the Environment report uses a template of around 22 measurable <br />"indicators" of the current status of air quality, water quality, and other environmental <br />conditions within Orange County. The indicators help reveal trends that can alert us to <br />potential impacts on human health and suggest areas where additional information, <br />research, and monitoring are needed. Finally, the report identifies critical issues and <br />makes recommendations for future County actions to help address certain issues. <br />The following are some changes to the 2014 report from the 2009 document: <br />• Includes new indicators of surface water quality <br />• Highlights innovative measures employed by Orange County to conserve energy <br />resources and promote the conservation of energy <br />• Includes a section on "fracking" as an "emerging issue" <br />• Links recommendations to 2030 Comprehensive Plan goals and objectives <br />• Provides a greater emphasis on citizen education and participation <br />The SOE report will be completed in time for its presentation at an Environmental <br />Summit planned for May 31 at the Maple View Agricultural Environmental <br />Center. The CFE has invited Dr. Norman Christensen (Duke University) to be keynote <br />speaker, along with a panel of speakers on topics that will be highlighted in the report. <br />Attachments <br />Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation <br />PO Box 8181 1306 -A Revere Road <br />Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br />(919) 245 -2510 <br />