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REPORT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OF ORANGE COUNTY The Environmental Indicators and Education (EIE) Committee of the Commission for the Environment was created to address current and emerging environmental issues in the county . Of particular concern is rapid growth in the county and the need to more precisely plan development and preserve resources in order to ensure a high quality of life into the future . This committee has identified several critical issues which need to be addressed as the county enters the 21 St 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 Board of Orange County 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 has identified a deficit of 645 acres of parkland in relation to the current population . • 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 clearcutting . When taken with the county' s expected population growth of 65 , 000 in the next 30 years , (an increase slightly larger than the population of Chapel Hill today) , these alarming declines in open space and land resources merit immediate attention . Other data shows increases in undesirable activities . • Vehicle miles traveled has increased by 43 % between 1987 and 1997 , over and above increase in traffic due to population growth . This averages 28 miles per person per day vs . 20 miles per person per day in 1987 . This figure will go up , with attendant increases in air pollution and the further development of roads and other impermeable surfaces unless aggressive steps are taken to reduce it . • Aggravating this trend is the fact that the county has very little roadway which is safe and adequate for bicycle transportation. The lack of infrastructure that would promote bicycling as a viable transportation option has contributed to the increase in vehicle miles traveled and the deterioration of air quality . Priorities If Orange County' s current development trends continue for the next thirty years , the result will be a county largely subdivided into two -acre lots and suburban developments , with little or no productive farmland and only a few fragmented parcels of habitat for the county ' s unique species . The county needs to aggressively plan for its future and guide