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5 . Allocate County funding for land acquisition . An initial step should be to define what <br /> funds are available for natural area acquisition from the Parks and Recreation Bond <br /> Funds and to make explicit which natural areas acquired with these funds would be <br /> used for recreational purposes . Another possible step could be to raise funds through <br /> a bond issue specifically earmarked for acquisition of biological resources . If voter <br /> approval is solicited for this type of bond issue in the next election, a voter education <br /> program should be launched soon to avoid rejection, particularly in northern Orange <br /> County . <br /> 6 . If the County is successful in raising funds for land acquisition, consider establishing <br /> a matching grant program to facilitate land acquisition by local conservancies and <br /> appropriate citizen groups . <br /> G . Cooperative Conservation Programs with Adjacent Counties <br /> County boundaries are often established without consideration for preserving the integrity <br /> of natural areas that happen to span county borders . As a result, an area that one county has <br /> elected to preserve may be compromised by actions on the other side of the county line . Rivers <br /> that flow without respect to political boundaries are in particular jeopardy . The following <br /> recommendations are preliminary to establishing a formal mechanism for regional environmental <br /> planning . <br /> 1 . Continue sending County representative to the New Hope Creek Corridor Advisory <br /> Committee . <br /> 2 . Authorize the Commission for the Environment to establish a liaison with citizens ' <br /> environmental planning groups . in Durham, Chatham, Alamance ( ?) , and Person( ?) <br /> counties . <br /> H . More Vigorous Enforcement of County Resource Protection Ordinances <br /> Some existing County ordinances and regulations could be rendered more effective if <br /> amplified or more vigorously enforced . We make the following recommendations : <br /> 1 . Upgrade the County ' s Environmental Impact Ordinance to provide more explicit <br /> requirements for protection of the current evaluation of biologically important areas, <br /> and to specify clarified mechanisms for enforcement . <br /> 2 . Take measures to more effectively monitor activities leading to substantial soil erosion, <br /> and to enforce existing soil erosion ordinances . <br /> 3 . Increase the area required for riparian buffers , if permitted by State laws , to maximize <br /> land protection along stream corridors , which serve as important wildlife corridors . <br /> 12 <br />