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For information , contact Meg Ryan O ' Donnell at smartgrowth@mindspring . com or call ( 919 ) 836 - 5261 Farm and Open Space Preservation Work Group Adopted by the Legislative Commission to Address Smart Growth , Growth Management and Development Issues — January 19 , 2001 Work Group Vision North Carolina must promote a flexible , incentive - oriented , community- based , state - supported approach to preserving and protecting open space . The state ' s open space resources include parks , water supply watersheds , active farming and forestry operations , wetlands and floodplains , historic sites , gamelands , and many other significant natural , recreational , and cultural features . A priority should be placed on protecting those natural areas that play a vital role in protecting the environment and our economy . Measures to preserve the benefits of open space for present and future generations should support private stewardship and respect private property rights . Purpose The goal of the work group was to understand existing state , local and private - sector policies , programs , and organizations that affect farms , forestry and other aspects of open space preservation in North Carolina . The work group heard from those responsible for program implementation and from individuals who utilized and/ or benefited from a program . Other- states ' approaches and programs were also reviewed . The work group examined the relationship of open space to water and air quality , sedimentation and erosion , economic viability of agriculture , hazard mitigation , preservation of cultural values , and quality of life . Principles ■ North Carolina has an obligation to protect its natural resources . Article XIV , Section 5 of the North Carolina Constitution states : "It shall be the policy of this State to conserve and protect its lands and waters for the benefit of all its citizenry , and to this end it shall be a proper function of the State of North Carolina and its political subdivisions to acquire and preserve park , recreational , and scenic areas , to control and limit the pollution of our air and water , to control excessive noise , and in every other appropriate way to preserve as a part of the common heritage of this State its forests , wetlands , estuaries , beaches , historical sites , openlands , and places of beauty . " ■ North Carolina has a commitment to protect its natural resources . GS 113A . 240 , enacted in 2000 to support the initiative to preserve one million acres , states : " It is the intent of the General Assembly to continue to support and accelerate the state ' s programs of land conservation and protection , to find means to assure and increase funding for these programs , and to improve the coordination , efficiency , and implementation of the various state and local land protection programs operating in North Carolina . " ■ Open space is integral to the lives and culture of North Carolinians . 1