Opinion:
The Aug. 2 editorial in the News & Record, "Conservation goals
won't be reached easily," gave great examples of what needs to happen
if the N.C. Million Acre Initiative is to be successful in preserving a
significant amount of open space and prime wildlife habitat by 2010.
The
N.C. Wildlife Habitat Foundation has been saying for a long time now
that the general public and North Carolina's outdoor enthusiasts need
to step up and help save more of these invaluable natural areas. It is
unreasonable for us to expect our state and federal government to pick
up the entire tab for such a task.
A program created by the
Wildlife Habitat Foundation called Adopt-an-Acre has had a lot of
success in demonstrating how beneficial it can be if individuals, small
conservation organizations and the corporate community will join hands
in such an effort. With help from Restoration Systems LLC, the
foundation has already secured more than 2,000 acres of conservation
easements and received more than $100,000 in endowment grants, which
will be used to purchase and protect even more wildlife habitat and
wetlands. One of these easements is located on the Haw River at Church
Street, just north of Greensboro.
Additionally, the Wildlife
Foundation has provided funding for the purchase of more than 200 acres
of land in Caswell, Richmond and Bladen counties. The deeds for these
properties are now being transferred to the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission and the N.C. Forest Service, where they will be permanently
protected for the benefit of future generations.
Several
articles that have recently appeared in the News & Record indicate
that the BlueGreen Communities has offered N.C. State Parks a free gift
of almost 100 acres of wetland property on the Haw River. However, to
date there has been no indication that the gift would be accepted by
any nonprofit conservation group. Hopefully, everyone will not stand
idle until the opportunity to save this small natural treasure has
passed by.
In view of the fact that we are losing more than
100,000 acres of open space, wetlands, forests, small farms and prime
wildlife habitat each year, the Wildlife Habitat Foundation continues
to believe that even the most minute amount of land we can preserve and
protect today will be priceless at some point in time.
We, just
like the N.C. Park Service, Elon Environmental Center, the Piedmont
Land Conservancy and a number of others, want to protect as much of the
Haw River as we possibly can. Every inch of the river that is offered
to our organization would be accepted with a great sense of gratitude.
