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Doesn' t the state already have programs underway to protect these properties ? <br /> In the 1980s and `90s the state created the Clean Water Management Trust Fund , Farmland <br /> Preservation Trust Fund, Natural Heritage Trust Fund and Parks and Recreation Trust Fund <br /> to conserve these types of properties . There have been significant successes in every county <br /> in North Carolina. But the funding has been insufficient . <br /> Last fiscal year, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund had $ 350 million in applications <br /> for the $ 62 million available . The Farmland Preservation Trust Fund has not been funded <br /> for two years in a row. Funds available for protecting working forests ate minimal. It is <br /> imperative that the state invest in protecting and preserving our critical land . It is one of the <br /> most important investments North Carolina can make . <br /> Will this help the economy? <br /> Land for Tomorrow is not only about land conservation . It is also about job conservation . <br /> North Carolina' s economy is dependent upon clean drinking water . Jobs in rural areas are <br /> increasingly dependent upon tourism generated by scenic beauty, historic places and quality <br /> outdoor recreational opportunities . Land conservation will help families to continue <br /> working in forestry and farming. Experience shows the types of properties to be protected <br /> are important for attracting and keeping knowledge workers . <br /> What does losing more than 100 , 000 acres each year mean for North Carolinians ? <br /> Our state is losing its goodliest land — the special places that are the heritage and foundation <br /> of our great state . We are losing working farms and forests . Land that could become <br /> greenways and parks . Land that protects our drinking water. Historic places . Land that <br /> strengthens our communities and our economy. We need land for our growing population, <br /> but critical places must be protected for all of us . <br /> Why is preserving and protecting the goodliest land a good investment for North <br /> Carolina' s future ? <br /> Land for Tomorrow is about investing in land now, for future generations . It' s about <br /> protecting land and drinking water from damage that will harm our health and our quality of <br /> life . It' s about a North Carolina that will continue to create jobs by being a healthy and <br /> attractive place for business . It' s about preserving historic places and the land that borders <br /> our state' s major military bases . It' s about fulfilling the true promise of the goodliest land . <br />