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63 <br /> NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION <br /> Wake County has many policies, in multiple plans,to address natural resources protection. In some cases, <br /> plans specifically aim to protect wildlife habitats and corridors. <br /> In the Wake County Land Use Plan, Goal 5 "encourage[s] the conservation of historical sites, <br /> environmentally significant areas, and important natural and cultural resources", and the first objective <br /> aims to"identify areas,which provide habitat for significant plant or wildlife species or make a <br /> significant contribution to environmental quality" so that they become protected or the landowner is <br /> encouraged to"maintain"them. <br /> In the Southwest Wake Area Land Use Plan,natural resources protection is prioritized in tiers: <br /> • NHNAs are the highest priority for conservation <br /> • Urban Wildlife Conservation Corridors are a secondary priority for conservation <br /> • Other conservation priorities include the American Tobacco Trail greenway and its noted ability <br /> to function as a wildlife corridor if widened to 300 feet <br /> The Wake County Consolidated Open Space Master Plan 2006: <br /> • Envisions the county's open spaces to be a"series of natural,interconnected landscapes that will <br /> protect vital natural resources"and aims to"Identify key parcels of land and corridors that should <br /> be acquired and protected as open space." <br /> • Aims for 30%of the county to be protected as natural areas <br /> • Uses a GIS-based landscape prioritization model verified by expert review. The prioritization <br /> approach is currently under review in advance of Wake County's 2019 bond funds. Current <br /> prioritization criteria include: <br /> o water quality <br /> o drinking water supply watersheds <br /> o headwater streams <br /> o properties near impaired streams <br /> o biodiversity indices <br /> o connectivity between and proximity to all existing Wake County Open Space preserves <br /> o parcel size <br /> • Uses county bond initiatives to fund land and easement acquisition by the Open Space program in <br /> high-priority areas, following a competitive application process from towns, agencies, and land <br /> trusts for specific projects within the county or municipalities. <br /> o Wake County voters overwhelmingly approved a$120 million parks-greenways-open <br /> space protection bond referendum in November 2018 that will be financed over a six- <br /> year period(beginning November 2019), from which approximately$20 million is <br /> allocated for acquisition and protection of key natural areas/open space lands in the <br /> county. <br /> The Open Space program,which implements and administers the master plan,focuses entirely on natural <br /> open space,which is defined in four categories distinguished by levels and placement of human activity <br /> and infrastructure within the natural area. <br /> The Comprehensive Parks&Recreation Master Plan: <br /> • Sets a goal for greenways as a place to protect wildlife habitat(also in the Wake County <br /> Greenway System Plan 2017). <br /> 50 A Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity <br />