Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Appendix A <br />Excerpts from the State of the Environment Report, <br />February, 200.0 <br />Relates to Natural Areas table on page 5 <br />Executive sutnanary: <br />Substantial gains have been made in Orange County in the last decade in the amount of land area <br />placed under some sort of protection. At the same time, however, the rate of forest fragmentation, <br />primarily as a result of.residential development, has likewise increased. To slow or to halt the <br />losses of our most significant resources and natural areas, we recommend to the County <br />Commissioners that County take the following steps: <br />- Increase the total area of protected natural areas, with highest priority given to the mast <br />significant areas facing the most imminent threat. This requires allocation of County funds <br />towards land acquisition, as well as seeking matching funds from outside sources. The <br />County should also play a more important role in working with other land preservation <br />groups, and in helping to coordinate the efforts of all involved groups. <br />B. Increased Protection for Areas of Concern <br />Some natural areas in the County, those with unique value or lack of accessibility, require <br />ongoing surveillance to prevent future negative impacts. <br />- the Little River Corridors: While the County's recent acquisition of the 135-acre <br />NewtonPTCF property makes a beginning to protection of this clean water body, we would <br />like to encourage the County to take steps to offer greater watershed protection in the Little <br />River Basin, and to work in conjunction with Durham County as they develop a plan for the <br />Little River. <br />- .Highly ranked sites, on, private lands: Because County government has little direct control of <br />these lands, there needs to be strong incentives for developers to respect and to contribute to <br />the protection of our critical, inventoried, and important biological sites. If incentives are <br />inadequate, the County needs to consider imposing restrictions on development, land <br />clearing, or ecosystem disturbance on or near these sites. In addition, methods to acquire <br />such sites when they became available need to be fully available to the ERCD. <br />C. More effective conservation policy <br />While the state of biological resources in Orange County is better than in mariy counties <br />throughout the state and the nation, some adjustments in the policy arena will help these resources <br />to maintain their integrity through the human population increase foreseen for the future. <br />0 <br />