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16 <br /> Lands Legacy Action Plan 2024-27 Adopted xx/xx/24 <br /> 3. Natural Heritage Areas: Protect high-priority natural heritage areas contiguous with <br /> existing conservation lands, allowing low-impact recreation where suitable. <br /> 4. Joint Town/County Open Space: Continue collaborating with the towns and other <br /> entities in acquiring land for establishing or expanding public trails or greenways identified <br /> in town plans that tie together important county-wide open spaces. Improve and expand <br /> connectivity and available resources between County, Municipal, and State parks to allow <br /> further access and diversity of experiences for typically underserved communities. Link to <br /> Orange County Strategic Action Plan goals under Environmental Protection and Climate <br /> Action. <br /> 5. Grant Funds: Continue to pursue state and federal grants to leverage existing County funds <br /> authorized for land acquisition, site stewardship, or park development. <br /> 6. Climate Change Action Plan Linkage: Ensure that conservation projects which fulfill the <br /> goals and objectives of the adopted Climate Action Plan are included in the priorities for the <br /> three-year period. <br /> Advisory Board Comments and Priorities <br /> In the winter of 2023-24, staff met with each of the advisory boards involved in Lands <br /> Legacy Program activities to discuss priorities and thoughts on the new plan. <br /> A. Commission for the Environment (CFE) <br /> The Orange County Commission for the Environment recommends that the Lands <br /> Legacy Action Plan (LLAP) take actions to recognize, protect, and interpret sites <br /> vital to the County for preservation of our natural environment, wildlife corridors, <br /> stream and creek health, climate resiliency, and prevention of erosion and <br /> stormwater run-off. In particular, we propose the following major considerations <br /> for determining the future land parcels protection by the County <br /> • Focus on natural area connectivity, connections between protected areas, parks, <br /> easements, etc. As a guideline, we recommend that County staff should work <br /> to protect wildlife corridors, specifically those outlined in Eno New Hope <br /> Landscape Connectivity Plan (Triangle Connectivity Collaborative). <br /> • Continue efforts to protect Natural Areas identified by the NC Natural Heritage <br /> Program, specifically those under private ownership. <br /> • Seek projects that align with the County Climate Action Plan, which will benefit <br /> climate resiliency, both in terms of carbon storage and watershed safety due <br /> to increased storm strength and drought protection due to likely overall <br /> reduction of precipitation over time. <br /> • Explore opportunities to expand protection of both water quality and quantity <br /> for future projects. <br /> 4 <br />