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2 <br /> Chair Price dispensed with reading the public charge. <br /> Public Charge: The Board of Commissioners pledges its respect to all present. The Board <br /> asks those attending this meeting to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner <br /> toward each other, county staff and the commissioners. At any time should a member of the <br /> Board or the public fail to observe this charge, the Chair will take steps to restore order and <br /> decorum. Should it become impossible to restore order and continue the meeting, the Chair will <br /> recess the meeting until such time that a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. <br /> The BOCC asks that all electronic devices such as cell phones, pagers, and computers should <br /> please be turned off or set to silent/vibrate. Please be kind to everyone. <br /> Arts Moment— No Arts Moment was available for this meeting. <br /> 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour) <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Robb Levinsky said he wanted to speak on the land use planning process and Buckhorn <br /> area plan. He said there has not been much public engagement, and this plan will effect the <br /> County for generations to come. He said it would have significant impact on those who deserve <br /> input. He said his concern goes beyond the scope of the plan, and residents live here because <br /> they value the rural residential character of the County. He said rural buffers should be <br /> developed between Mebane and Efland. He said industrial development projects are like a <br /> cancer, ruining everything in their path. He said nothing in the plan sets appropriate limitations, <br /> and Orange County does not want to be the next Newark, New Jersey. He urged the Board to <br /> please choose wisely. <br /> Catherine Matthews read the following statement: <br /> Hello County Commissioners. I'm back. First let me thank you for your World Water Day <br /> proclamation and then let me thank Commissioner Greene for attending our World Water Day <br /> Celebration in Efland. I wish more of you could have attended this event to learn about our <br /> efforts to preserve clean water and undisturbed land in Orange County. I'm here tonight to ask <br /> you how you intend to respond to our President's climate agenda. <br /> One of Biden's goals is to conserve nearly a third of US land and ocean waters by 2030. <br /> Biden's proposal, known broadly as 30 by 30, is to preserve 30% of our lands and 30% of our <br /> ocean waters by 2030 (9 short years away). Currently, only 12 percent of the country's land and <br /> 26 percent of its oceans are protected. <br /> While Biden's goal is laudable, I think we need to look at our past in North Carolina to see how <br /> this national goal might be enacted. Twenty years ago the General Assembly and Gov. Hunt <br /> declared that North Carolina should add 1 million more acres of protected land as parks, <br /> forests, natural areas, farmlands, etc. before the end of 2010. In 2020, 10 years later, North <br /> Carolina finally attained that goal. <br /> North Carolina's population continues to grow along with greater land development pressures <br /> for conversion of private farmlands and forests to intensive development. With the kind of <br /> demands on limited water supplies, consequences of a changing climate, diminished food <br /> production, need for outdoor recreational opportunities, 11% is simply not enough! <br /> The bottom-line, of course, is "what is enough?" What percentage would guarantee not only <br /> our survival, but the biodiversity of planet Earth. E. O. Wilson, a preeminent biologist at Duke <br />