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11 <br /> With that said, there are seven areas of special significance that I would like to <br /> highlight for your and the Board's consideration: <br /> • Open Space and Habitat Connectivity: Always an important part of <br /> conservation practice, the significance of connecting wildlife habitat and <br /> public open spaces takes even more of a significance in this action plan. <br /> This is consistent with the Eno-New Hope Connectivity Plan, the new <br /> County Strategic Plan and other documents and policies. <br /> • Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Countywide Trails Plan: Progress <br /> continues with the Mountains to Sea Trail in Orange County, one of the <br /> more-complicating and challenging segments of the trail in the state. <br /> Related to this, but more comprehensive on trail needs in the county is the <br /> Countywide Trails Plan. A Request for Proposals has been issued and the <br /> County hopes to award a bid for consultant services in creating this plan <br /> before summer. On a related front, a new group has formed, the UNC <br /> CoGeneration Rail Transformation Project, that will look at the future <br /> possibilities of the railroad line that connects from eastern Orange County <br /> into the UNC campus. <br /> • Conserving Farmland in Water Supply Watersheds: Long a priority for <br /> the Lands Legacy Program, the relationship between farms with good <br /> conservation track records and water supply watersheds is paramount <br /> with the nutrient rules methodology of the Falls Lake and Jordan Lake <br /> watersheds now taking more-concrete form. <br /> • The Role of Nature Preserves: The County, working with other local <br /> governments, institutional and non-profit partners, has an opportunity in <br /> the next decade to build upon existing and nascent nature preserves in <br /> the county in a way that will meet many goals for habitat protection, <br /> climate action and public open space. <br /> • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Goals: The County's One Orange Racial <br /> Equity Plan and the equity lens framework identified within offers a chance <br /> to ensure that conservation objectives recognize the opportunity to <br /> engage in conservation projects with landowners and communities which <br /> have been historically underserved. <br /> • Co-location Through Lands Legacy: With the identified need for many <br /> types of public and community assets, such as public health linkages and <br /> the potential for colocation with other county facility needs, it may be <br /> timely to look more-closely at land conservation priorities that can achieve <br /> multiple public health, safety and general welfare objectives. This has <br /> been done in several previous Lands Legacy projects for schools and <br /> public safety facilities, but more may be possible. <br /> Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation <br /> PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br /> Phone: (919) 245-2510 <br />