Orange County NC Website
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Website <br />In October 2000, the Million Acre Initiative website was made public. By visiting <br />htip:/ /wvvw.ncsparks.net/millionacre, anyone can learn what the Million Acre Initiative is about <br />and can access information about land protection projects, conservation easements, costs of <br />development vs. cost of undeveloped land, land development trends, land protection incentives <br />such as the North Carolina Conservation Tax Credit Program and other general open space <br />protection issues. Users can also link to a number of other land protection entities in North <br />Carolina and in other states including the federal government, state government, local <br />government, and private sector land protection bodies. <br />As the initiative develops, the website will become a one -stop shop about all kinds of land <br />protection projects in North Carolina. Links will be included to similar projects in other states, <br />news and journal articles about the importance of open space protection, maps of open space <br />protection efforts in North Carolina, tools for local governments and private citizens who wish to <br />protect open spaces, funding opportunities, and technical assistance with land stewardship <br />concerns. The site will become a central clearinghouse for information about open space <br />protection and an essential stop for anyone interested in open space protection in our state. <br />Presentations <br />As part of our program of information dissemination and technical assistance, we have taken our <br />land protection campaign on the road. We make presentations to groups interested in open space <br />protection. Some examples of our outreach efforts include the P Annual Regional <br />Environmental Summit in Charlotte, The Recreational Resources Service's statewide <br />teleconference, and the NC Regional Council of Governments Conference on Smart Growth <br />Principles. <br />In addition to these one -time events, the Million Acres staff often provides longer -term input to <br />steering committees and advisory boards. In the fall and winter of 2000 -2001, we worked with <br />the Farm and Open Space Workgroup of the Legislative Commission on Smart Growth, Growth <br />Management and Economic Development. Staff worked to include recommendations that are <br />important to the realization of the state's land protection goals. The final report of the <br />workgroup included important recommendations related to: <br />• Promoting regional open space planning <br />• Educating the residents of North Carolina about the importance of open space protection, and <br />• Empowering local governments to do more land protection, and <br />• Increasing funding levels for both running the initiative and land protection <br />12 <br />