Raleigh—Gov. Easley has proposed a $106 million increase in
funding for the preservation of farmland, parks, and natural areas, according
to his 2008 budget recommendations released yesterday. Environment North Carolina applauded the move, a critical first step towards the
$200 million needed yearly for land and water conservation across the state.
According to Environment North Carolina research, the
state loses more than 300 acres of forests and farmlands—an area the size of 20
Wal-Marts—each day. New research from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that in 2005, North Carolina, along with Tennessee, lost more farms than any other state in the country
that year.
The state’s land conservation programs, the
Agriculture Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, the Clean Water
Management Trust Fund, the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, and the Parks and
Recreation Fund Trust Fund, have successfully preserved hundreds of thousands
of farms and natural areas since their inception. Yet these programs are vastly underfunded in
the face of the state’s rapid development.
Gov. Easley’s budget recommendations would allocate $6
million to farmland preservation, and authorize up to $100 million in
borrowing, to be paid back through revenue streams to the Natural Heritage
Trust Fund and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
“The Governor's proposed budget is a great step towards
fulfilling the state’s promise to preserve one million acres of our farms and
natural areas,” said Elizabeth Ouzts, Environment North Carolina Director. “We look forward to working with the Governor
and with lawmakers to increase funding further to preserve our land now for
future generations.”
The legislature’s Land and Water Conservation Study
Commission has recommended an additional $200 million each year for land,
water, and farmland conservation.
