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• Encourage Ownership of Land and Easements by Appropriate Parties . The acquired <br /> lands and easements should not all be state - owned, as local or federal governments are at <br /> times in a better position to own and manage land . Often land can remain in private hands <br /> with easements owned by government agencies or non-profit land trusts . <br /> IF <br /> Major Rec ® mmenda ions 1IF <br /> 3 . <br /> ; .. <br /> The Million Acre Plan identifies a number of recommendations to help North Carolina achieve <br /> open space conservation goals . These recommendations have grown out of a set of principles <br /> developed in collaboration with a broad range of interested parties . As North Carolina needs to <br /> take steps now to enhance its land conservation efforts , some recommendations need to be acted <br /> upon in the near term, including the Short Session of the 2000 General Assembly. Other <br /> recommendations could be implemented over a longer time frame . The major recommendations <br /> identified in the Million Acre Plan are listed below . <br /> Short Term Recommendations <br /> ➢ Facilitate Coordination . The Governor should establish a Million Acre Advisory Panel <br /> and direct DNR to coordinate and staff all aspects of the Million Acre Initiative, including <br /> information sharing, data tracking , management of a central website, and education . <br /> ➢ Codify Million Acre Goal . The General Assembly should put the Million Acre Goal into <br /> law to provide a source of common inspiration for the citizens of North Carolina and <br /> guidance for future sessions , and the legislature should require annual progress reports <br /> starting September 2000 . <br /> ➢ Farmland Preservation . The General Assembly should increase the funding for Farmland <br /> Preservation to at least $ 1 million dollars during the 2000 session . Such funds would provide <br /> farmers an option to keep their land as working farms while protecting their property from <br /> development . This trust fund will need a larger and dedicated funding source in future years <br /> to meet an increasing demand by farmers . <br /> ➢ Clean Water Management Trust Fund . The Clean Water Management Trust fund should <br /> be increased from a floor of $ 30 million today to $ 100 million over the next three years . The <br /> General Assembly should not reallocate funds from any of the state trust funds for other uses . <br /> Additionally, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund-should review its policies on buffer <br /> requirements to ensure that conservation of land to protect water quality can be coordinated <br /> with other open space protection objectives . <br /> ➢ Dedicated Funding Source . The Governor and the General Assembly should work together <br /> to identify dedicated state . and local revenue sources to fund permanent conservation efforts . <br /> The menu of potential funding sources could include the deed stamp tax, impact fees , transfer <br /> taxes , severance taxes , and others that could complement tax incentives and private <br /> stewardship . Revenues generated should support farmland preservation, increased funding <br /> levels for existing state trust funds , and the Conservation Grant Fund to cover the costs of <br /> transactions for donating lands and educating landowners . <br /> IF <br />