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! r <br /> Attachment # 3 <br /> sz. <br /> LAND : ` TOMORROW <br /> Immediate Release Contact : Kate Dixon <br /> June 8 , 2004 Office : 919=403 - 8558 ext . 1009 <br /> Mobile : 919- 698 -9024 <br /> LAND FOR TOMORROW URGES GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT <br /> NORTH CAROLINA' S GOODLIEST LAND <br /> State losing 100, 000 acres ofland annually; Group says lawmakers must act now <br /> Raleigh, N . C . — Land for Tomorrow, a diverse partnership of businesses , preservationists , farmers , <br /> environmental groups , health professionals and community groups , today asked the General Assembly to <br /> support a five-year plan designed to preserve and protect areas critical to clean water, farming, forestry, the <br /> state ' s historic properties , tourism , jobs and quality of life in the state . <br /> The coalition recommended passage of a 2006 bond initiative that would generate $200 million per year for five <br /> years to expand preservation of critical lands and historic places , provide jobs , and strengthen communities . <br /> "North Carolina is losing 100 ,000 acres of forests , farms , and stream banks per year due to growing <br /> development pressures . Once these areas are gone there' s no replacing them, " said Kate Dixon, director of <br /> Land for Tomorrow. "If we do not act to protect these areas , it will be devastating to our economy, drinking <br /> water quality, communities and the natural beauty that makes North Carolina such a special place to live and <br /> work . " <br /> Saving the Goodliest Land, A Five-Year Plan for Investing In North Carolina 's Land, Dater, History and Future <br /> recommends that the state spend an additional $ 200 million annually for five years on protecting nine different <br /> categories of land . Based on recent history, the partnership estimates that state funding at this level will <br /> generate an additional $ 400 million in federal, local and private funds per year. <br /> Five-year goals of the plan include protection of: <br /> ■ Rivers , Wetlands , Floodplains and Coastal Waters <br /> o 6 , 000 miles of stream banks and flood plains <br /> ■ Working Farms <br /> o 50 ,000 acres of prime farmland <br /> ■ Legacy Forests <br /> o 25 ,000 acres <br /> ■ Local Parks and Trails <br /> o 35 , 000 acres of trail, recreation and park facilities <br /> ■ State Parks <br /> o 60 ,000 acres <br /> ■ Game Lands and Other Natural Areas <br /> o 150 , 000 acres , including land bordering military bases <br /> ■ Historic Places <br /> o Restore 350 historic landmarks for public use <br /> ■ Land Visible from Scenic Highways <br /> o 50 , 000 acres along the Blue Ridge Parkway and other scenic highways <br /> -MORE- <br />