L.MUELLER — lmueller@charlotteobserver.com
September 7, 2013
The majority in control of North Carolina’s state legislature (click here) this year killed two amazingly successful land conservation programs. If North Carolina’s legislative leaders and the governor care about North Carolina’s natural heritage and environmental resources, they should reinstate both the Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the state’s income tax credits for land conservation.
More than half a million acres of North Carolina’s finest natural places in many hundreds of locations have been permanently protected over the past 30 years when owners voluntarily agreed to conserve their land because of the state’s Conservation Tax Credit and the N.C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund. Both of those programs were enacted by nearly unanimous, bipartisan legislative consensus....
...Where are the champions for land conservation in North Carolina? An exceptional example has been U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, who merits accolades for defending the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund (financed by royalties on oil and gas wells) that has been the primary funding source over the past 50 years for America’s national, state and local parks. The national Land and Water Conservation Fund also is in jeopardy.
Have current Republican leaders in North Carolina determined that land and water and wildlife conservation, parks and greenway trails and preserves are no longer of concern to them or the public? Do they care about safeguarding the common public goods – clean and healthy lands, water and air?
If our legislative leaders and governor care about North Carolina’s natural environment, they should reinstate the Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the state’s income tax credits for land conservation.
Chuck Roe of Raleigh was founding director of the N.C. Natural Heritage Program (1976-92) and the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (1984-2002).
North Carolina has some of the most incredible biotic content in the USA, if not the planet. It is situated at that place on Earth where it starts to turn north to meet at the North Pole. Earth is round, you know.
The state has basically three regions; the coastal plain, the piedmont and the mountains.
The coastal plain is all wetlands. There are a couple of major cities, but, that area of the state is primarily small towns and farms. The coast is host to many marine mammals as well as an abundance of shell fish beds. The beaches are primarily clean and then there are the historic out banks. North Carolina doesn't host a boardwalk, but, the beaches are incredible. The coastal plain also hosts some endangered species, too.
The Piedmont is a higher elevation and when traveling along I-40 at exit 312 it is easy to discern an uphill climb. The Piedmont is host to a large number of golf courses and water reservoirs. It is the capital seat and home of some of the finest universities and medical centers in the country.
Moving west toward The Great Smokey Mountains, the state host a golf course and hotel at a higher elevation than most are used to. There is also a monastery in the mountains along route 194. But, one of the best tourist attractions is The Biltmore Estate in Asheville. It has become a place where many weddings occur every year.
Much of what is the beauty of North Carolina was insured by the thirty year old trust funds conducted by the State of North Carolina. This horrid Republican legislature is ending all that. The state is not going be the same. It's quality of life will deteriorate due to the lack of funding and maintenance of these programs.
Republicans claim to the party that loves tradition and holds dear the treasures passed down by previous generations. According to these actions, that is a profound lie. They destroy more than they ever protect.
