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Q REPORT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT The Environmental Indicators and Education (EIE) Committee of the Commission for the Environment was created to address current and emerging environmental trends and issues in the county . Of particular concern is rapid growth in the county and the need to -plan development more precisely and preserve natural and cultural resources in order to ensure a high quality of life into the future . This committee has identified several critical issues that need to be addressed as the county enters the 21s ' century . This report includes an overview of some environmental indicators., which point to significant trends now shaping the future of the county. Based on these trends , the report also outlines recommendations for action and proposes specific recommendations for the Orange County Board of Commissioners to take into consideration . State of the Environment in Orange County Recent studies by different committees for the county have resulted in findings , which taken together, reveal the effects of rapid development on county resources . • A study by the Joint Master Recreation and Parks Work Group identified a deficit of 645 acres of parkland based on population standards . • A Report to the Shaping Orange County' s Future Task Force by the Orange County Environment and Resource Conservation Department indicates that farmland in the County declined 76 % from 1967 to 1996 , from 183 , 263 acres to 44 , 500 acres . • The Triangle Land Conservancy has estimated that 10 % of the county' s prime hardwood forest has been lost in the past decade, due to development and clear- cutting . These changes are due in part to the county ' s population increase of 67 , 000 from 1960 - 1998 . When taken with the county' s expected population growth of another 64 , 000 from 2000 - 2030 ( an increase larger than the population of Chapel Hill today) , these alarming, declines in open space and land resources merit immediate attention . 1960 429970 1970 579707 1980 77 , 055 1990 93 , 851 2000 (proj ) 114 , 000 2010 1345400 2020 1575820 2030 178 , 740 Other data shows increases in undesirable activities .