ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL FOR INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION ON COYOTE MANAGEMENT IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) has a broad mission which includes providing hunting opportunities for the sportsmen of North Carolina as well as managing nongame species and their habitat. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Red Wolf Recovery Program is tasked with managing and recovering the endangered red wolf (Canis rufus), an effort which includes an adaptive management plan to address hybridization of red wolves and coyotes (Canis latrans).

Communication between the WRC and the FWS, RW program has been somewhat limited since the initial red wolf restoration effort began 20 years ago. The two agencies have differing opinions on strategies to manage coyotes in northeastern North Carolina, and developments over the last year and a half have strained an already tenuous relationship. Interviews were conducted with personnel from both agencies to develop a situation assessment of the potential for interagency collaboration on this issue. A proposed plan on how to proceed in the near term was developed based on the results of the interviews and presented in the situation assessment.

Forestry in Wetlands Regulatory Guidance Group

Activities in wetlands are regulated under section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  This relates to "dredge and fill activities.”  Section 404(f)(1) provides an exemption from permitting for certain forestry, agricultural and ranching activities.  Hence, some drainage in wetlands is allowable for forestry operations but there is a very large gray area as to what is "minor drainage" and allowable without a permit from the United States Army Corp of Engineers vs. "major  drainage”, which does require a permit from the United States Army Corp of Engineers.

This is just one example of the types of issues that surround silvicultural operations in wetlands.  Other include questions regarding bottomland harvesting, the definition of ongoing silviculture, maintenance of existing drainage systems, etc.

There is a need for improved communications between the regulatory agencies (CoE, EPA, DWQ) and service and outreach agencies (DFR) that are directly involved with silvicultural operations in wetlands. The purpose of this project is to bring together a small core working group who would:

• Improve understanding and compliance with regulation
• Coordinate outreach efforts
• Establish working relationships

Implementation of a Farmland Protection Plan to Help Preserve Farmland in Gaston County

During the time period between 2002 and 2007, Gaston County farm acreage dropped from 41,827 acres to 37, 561 acres. This is a loss of 4, 263 acres or approximately 710 acres per year. The loss of farms affects the individual farming families, county economy, availability of fresh, locally grown food and amount of open space. The objective of this practicum is to develop and implement a county-wide farmland protection plan. A farmland protection plan will provide both short- and long-term benefits to county farmers. The short-term benefits include preferential consideration by the NC Farmland Preservation Trust to farmers applying for easement funding and a potential higher compensation for agricultural easements by the Farmland Preservation Trust, in counties that have an adopted plan.The long-term benefits include tools to assist farmers in business planning, marketing and an important education component that strives to increase the awareness of the public of the challenges and contribution of agriculture within their county.

I partnered with the Gaston County Department of Natural Resources and the Gaston County Quality of Natural Resources Commission to develop a plan, seek adoption of the plan by the Gaston County Board of Commissioners and the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, and implement the plan. We developed a plan based on the model plan available on the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund website. We utilized input from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Service, NC Cooperative Extension Service and the Gaston County Quality of Natural Resources Commission’s Land Quality Subcommittee.The plan was presented to the Farm Bureau Board, and they supported the plan. The plan was presented to the Gaston County Board of Commissioners who decided to defer action on the plan, until they had the opportunity to conduct a farmers forum to get input from local farmers on their concerns regarding agriculture in the county. We are currently awaiting the outcome of the forum to determine our next steps.

Facilitating Stormwater Best Management Practices in Western North Carolina

With the onset of more stringent stormwater ordinances being imposed upon municipalities, there is a grand opportunity to research stormwater management practices and educate design professionals on effective, alternative practices.  The North Carolina Statue University Water Quality Group housed at The NC Arboretum has over 22 stormwater management features, or Best Management Practices (BMPs), that are used as a model for Low Impact Development.  Through tours, presentations, and workshops centered around these features, the Water Quality Group has educated a wide range of audiences throughout the state.  The stormwater BMPs at The NC Arboretum can be implemented throughout the state of North Carolina, however, there is a need to identify effective practices specific to the mountainous areas common throughout Western North Carolina and train professionals on the installation and maintenance of such features.

The purpose of this practicum project was to gather information from professionals on their experiences with the installation and maintenance of stormwater Best Management Practices that have been constructed in Western North Carolina. There was also a need for more stormwater management practices (BMPs) to be installed in Western North Carolina that are successful in complimenting the pre-developed hydrology using methods that mimic natural designs.  A model BMP demonstration project (bioretention cell) was identified, then funded through a federal grant funding source and installed.  In conjunction with the construction, a series of presentations, tours, and a workshop was offered to educate professionals on local challenges and solutions to improve water quality from stormwater using BMPs in the mountains. The participants learned about the latest in BMP research, design considerations, components and materials, sizing recommendations, plant selection, system functionality, and maintenance. Also, they had the opportunity to explore common obstacles and solutions through case studies and tour of the model bioretention cell under construction. As a result of this practicum project, the local community where the model BMP was installed has requested five additional demonstration practices and other similar workshops are planned to train professionals in other Western North Carolina counties.

SITUATION ASSESSMENT OF PRESENT USE VALUATION IN DIVISION OF FOREST RESOURCES DISTRICT TEN COUNTIES

Present Use Valuation for forestry is a tax deferral program to reduce property taxes and is an effective tool to encourage property owners to manage their forestland in a sustainable manner. Present Use Valuation is a State property tax deferral program that is administered by each individual county’s tax department.So even though the basic requirements are intact, how they are administered from county to county varies widely.

Through meetings with tax departments in various counties with the objective of conducting a situation assessment, I learned that various problems faced by the Division of Forest Resources, (DFR), would probably be solved by 2011.However, because of these meetings I was able to open lines of communication and increase understanding between those county tax assessor offices and the DFR in District Ten. This laid the groundwork for better information exchange and communication about future legislative and policy changes. District Ten covers the following ten counties: Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin.

THE GREATER UWHARRIE CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP WORKING TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY CONSERVATION TOOLS FOR HIGH PRIORITY HABITATS

The Greater Uwharries region of the south central Piedmont is within one and a half hours of the 4 major cities in the Piedmont.  Deemed ‘North Carolina’s Central Park,’ the region remains rural but is quickly urbanizing near the major cities.  Currently the rate of development is manageable; however, land values will become too high for conservation by land acquisition probably within the next 5 to 10 years, as developable land becomes priced above market value.  In order to create a tool for cooperative conservation projects among partner agencies, the Greater Uwharries Conservation Partnership decided to create a map of over 100 previously identified conservation target species and habitats to focus collective resources on common priority areas. 

The goal of this practicum was to aid the partnership in the creation of what came to be the Greater Uwharries Conservation Planning Map and to come to agreement on the uses of the map.  After attempting to tackle building consensus on the construction of the entire map, we settled on forming consensus on the map input components piece by piece.  Individual map layers have been provided to the participants as well as two complete draft maps of priorities to provide a visualization of an end product based on different mapping techniques and draft ranks of each conservation target. 

We have completed definitions for all 3 conservation target rank categories and criteria.  We are continuing to finish the first working version of the map by identifying and agreeing on additional and landscape scale ranking criteria that may incorporate priority watersheds and streams, connectivity, and habitat patch size and overlap into mapped priorities.  We have used the map layers as part of the NCWRC Green Growth Toolbox to provide two county planning departments with information on the location and conservation of priority wildlife habitats in the region.  One county government is actively pursuing a land use plan and ordinance updates to conserve wildlife in their county as a result.  The GUCP working groups are using the map to continue to identify and contacted landowners of ‘no regret’ priority conservation sites and are actively and cooperatively working to conserve these areas with land owners and partner agencies.

Facilitate an Education and Information Sharing Process for NCDOT, Permitting and Commenting Agencies

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) applies for and acquires Clean Water Act 404/401 permits from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ). The USACE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) share the responsibility for enforcing Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).  Section 404 regulates the discharge of dredged and fill material into waters of the U.S.  The NCDWQ enforces Section 401 of the CWA and also requires activities permitted under Section 404 to meet state water quality standards. Permit applications for a CWA Section 404/401 permit are submitted to the USACE and the NCDWQ by the NCDOT for dredge and fill into waters of the U.S. 

Part of the permitting process involves state and federal agencies’ comments and recommendations for a project during the design and construction phase of the project. Permit applications are submitted to the USACE and commenting agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), or the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), will submit recommendations for the NCDOT to adhere to during project construction. There is currently a disconnection between the NCDOT and the agencies that permit and review the permit applications. Project delays may be incurred due to permit conditions that the NCDOT is not ready to meet.

The goal of this phase of this project is to prepare an educational workshop with NCDOT and the permitting and commenting agencies (all stakeholders) involved in the NEPA 404/401 process. A plan to set up a workshop was developed and meetings were set up to interview the agencies. The initial plan is for this workshop to take place in the Fall of 2008. Brief meetings have taken place to discuss the overall intent of the workshop. These meetings presented a very positive response from the stakeholders.

WAKE COUNTY GREENWAYS AND TRAILS CONSORTIUM:  IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY THROUGH STAKEHOLDER DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

The Wake County Greenway and Trails Consortium was developed to address the growing need of developing an interconnected system of greenways and trails that were fragmented by increased development in Wake County.  Concentrated development of the County’s multiple municipalities has lead to greenway and trail fragmentation that ill-serves the residents of the region that use the system for increased benefits such as health and fitness, transportation, increased quality of life, natural resource protection and the positive increased protection of their property values. 

The Wake County Greenways and Trails Consortium has been designed to bring together local professional planners and managers that have an impact on redirecting the policy of development in their own communities.  To accomplish this goal, the Consortium provides local professionals and advocates the tools to accomplish this focused goal and break down the barriers that hinder greenway and trail connectivity through issue identification, problem solving and education.

Improving Internal Communication within a Government Agency

There is both opportunity and need to strengthen Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) working relationships through better internal communication.  The opportunities for sharing information in this dynamic work environment tend to be ephemeral in nature, shared between a few co-workers in casual conversation, email, or staff meetings but not necessarily shared outside of one’s immediate work group.    Improved communication across work groups and throughout the agency can lead to greater trust among and within groups, feeling of inclusion, and better project management decisions.

In order for EEP staff to effectively share information throughout the development, implementation, monitoring, and long-term stewardship of watershed planning and enhancement projects the EEP requires an online forum for information exchange.  The forum must be efficient and accessible by all staff to share and exchange information and lessons learned that have resulted in project improvement or helped to avert costly mistakes or failures. 

Several initiatives have begun within the program to address communication issues, including the development of a wiki forum, called iBeam Spaces.  iBeam is a program developed by the NC Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources.   The use of wiki technology is a true collaborative effort which, if embraced by staff and management, can be used to effectively communicate and manage project information.  The objective of this practicum project was to collaborate with EEP staff to develop and promote a wiki forum for facilitating internal agency communication.

A participant of the NRLI 07 class; awaiting project report for recognition as a Fellow of the Institute.

Developing Working Relationships Between the Conservation and Private Landowner Communities in the North Carolina Sandhills

The NC Sandhills contains the northernmost example of large, continuous longleaf pine forests over a range that at one time spanned from southern Virginia to Florida and across to Texas. The NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership was formed in 1999, from a group of unlikely stakeholders including the US Army, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy, among others, with the goal of protecting this disappearing ecosystem. Since that time it has protected over 20,000 acres of longleaf pine forest, farmland, and river frontage in the NC Sandhills. Despite these successes it is understood that without adequately engaging the private landowning community in regional conservation and natural resource planning efforts, certain goals will never be met. The goal of this project is to properly engage the landowning community, establish an avenue for the sharing of ideas between Sandhills Landowners and the Conservation Partnership, and provide access to information and resources that encourage sound and sustainable forest land management.

The Sandhills Landowners Council is intended to be a conduit for the Partnership to learn from the communities in which it works, and to make landowners aware of the benefits of sustainable, cooperative management of longleaf pine forests. By adopting a long-term approach to land management practices, it is possible for landowners to increase their revenue from forest products and improve the health of their land. Moreover, by working cooperatively with their neighbors, landowners can manage more of their property than each could otherwise manage on their own, a concept with implications for the socioeconomic and environmental conditions of the Sandhills region as a whole.

Improving Internal Communication within a Government Agency

There is both opportunity and need to strengthen Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) working relationships through better internal communication.  The opportunities for sharing information in this dynamic work environment tend to be ephemeral in nature, shared between a few co-workers in casual conversation, e-mail, or staff meetings but not necessarily shared outside of one’s immediate work group.    Improved communication across work groups and throughout the agency can lead to greater trust among and within groups, feeling of inclusion, and better project management decisions.

In order for EEP staff to effectively share information throughout the development, implementation, monitoring, and long-term stewardship of watershed planning and enhancement projects the EEP requires an online forum for information exchange.  The forum must be efficient and accessible by all staff to share and exchange information and lessons learned that have resulted in project improvement or helped to avert costly mistakes or failures. 

Several initiatives have begun within the program to address communication issues, including the development of a wiki forum, called iBeam Spaces.  iBeam is a program developed by the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.   The use of wiki technology is a true collaborative effort which, if embraced by staff and management, can be used to effectively communicate and manage project information.  The objective of this practicum project was to collaborate with EEP staff to develop and promote a wiki forum for facilitating internal agency communication.

Developing a Biofuels Production, Education, and Training Program as Part of Haywood Community College’s Sustainable Development Initiative

In 2007, Haywood Community College embarked on a Sustainable Development Initiative (SDI) to expand the college’s role as a leader in “sustainable development” for students, the community, and the region. The first organizational meetings of the SDI Task Force were facilitated by NRLI Fellow (1998), Rob Hawk.  Biofuels production and education was identified as a key focus area for the initiative. In addition to participating on the initial SDI task force, I served formally as a co-facilitator for the biofuels project development process and informally as a grant-writer to seek support for the project. Project initiation included three formal and several informal meetings between Haywood Community College and prospective local and state agency partners and a regional biodiesel production company. The two major goals of this effort which emerged through the participatory development process were to 1) make Haywood Community College a local and regional leader in biofuels education and training and 2) create successful partnerships with county entities in the production and promotion of biofuels on the community level.

In April 2008, Haywood Community College was awarded $135,000 by the recently established Biofuels Center of North Carolina. The project entitled: Haywood County Biofuels PET* Project (*Production, Education and Training) will enable the college and its partners, including NC Cooperative Extension and the Haywood County Recycling Program, to move forward in countywide biofuels production, education, and promotion efforts. Receiving the grant award serves as a positive ‘starting point’ for this new collaboration.

Expanding Educational Opportunities at the Blue Jay Center for Environmental Education: Redesigning Our Public Program Offerings for Children Aged 9-12 years

The Blue Jay Center for Environmental Education at Blue Jay Point County Park in Raleigh, NC provides a full range of environmental education programming for all ages.  In addition to group programs offered to schools, track-out camps, and youth organizations like scouts, Blue Jay also offers public programs to families and to individuals according to age groups, that are advertised on our website and in print pieces such as posters, flyers and the Wake County Parks Quarterly Newsletter.  Despite strong public program participation among preschool and primary-aged children, we have a low rate of participation among 9-12 year olds, with the exception of summer camps and homeschool semester-long programs that are offered each fall. Although approximately half of Blue Jay’s requested group programs contain children in the 9-12 year old range, when it comes public program registration for children in that same age range, registration numbers are so low that our Saturday program for 9-12 year olds, Nature Nuts, are frequently canceled.

Because the Blue Jay Center for Environmental Education seeks to provide a balanced slate of educational programs that appeal to a broad spectrum of participants, the goal for this project is to involve families in a collaborative process to redesign Blue Jay’s public program offerings for children aged 9-12 years.  Following this redesign, Blue Jay would implement the changes for a period of one year, and then measure the success of the changes based on the percentage of public programs for 9-12 year olds canceled and the average number of registered participants per offered program-hour compared to the percentages and averages based on the 7 years worth of Nature Nuts data prior to the change.

Forestry in Wetlands Regulatory Guidance Group

Activities in wetlands are regulated under section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  This relates to "dredge and fill activities.”  Section 404(f)(1) provides an exemption from permitting for certain forestry, agricultural and ranching activities.  Hence, some drainage in wetlands is allowable for forestry operations but there is a very large gray area as to what is "minor drainage" and allowable without a permit from the United States Army Corp of Engineers vs. "major  drainage”, which does require a permit from the United States Army Corp of Engineers.

This is just one example of the types of issues that surround silvicultural operations in wetlands.  Other include questions regarding bottomland harvesting, the definition of ongoing silviculture, maintenance of existing drainage systems, etc.

There is a need for improved communications between the regulatory agencies (CoE, EPA, DWQ) and service and outreach agencies (DFR) that are directly involved with silvicultural operations in wetlands.

The purpose of this project is to bring together a small core working group who would:

• Improve understanding and compliance with regulation
• Coordinate outreach efforts
• Establish working relationship

WORKING LANDS PRESERVATION: A CASE STUDY IN ALLEGHANY COUNTY

For the Natural Resources Leadership Institute’s Practicum requirement, David Isner, Alleghany County Cooperative Extension Agent, and Michelle Lovejoy, NCDENR Division of Soil and Water Conservation Area II Coordinator propose to help facilitate placing a working lands property into conservation easement and help develop a long term management plan for the property.  The nine acre property along the New River has the potential to be used as a local educational resource. 

Lessons learned from the process will be shared statewide with other local soil and water conservation district offices as well as additional collected resources regarding working land preservation.

Low Impact Development Encourages Different Perspectives

Low Impact Development integrates stormwater practices into site design using a customized layout for each project. Some of the most commonly used integrated management practices (IMPs) include: permeable pavement, cisterns, grassed swales, bioretention, rain gardens, and level spreaders. These are small-scale practices that fit unobtrusively into a landscape.

LID has evolved into an environmental program that can be utilized by many different professions, including, but not limited to, planners, engineers, landscape architects, architects, biologists, and others. As such, there are many different perspectives that affect how LID is implemented and therefore ripe for collaborative opportunities.

WORKING LANDS PRESERVATION: A CASE STUDY IN ALLEGHANY COUNTY

For the Natural Resources Leadership Institute’s Practicum requirement, David Isner, Alleghany County Cooperative Extension Agent, and Michelle Lovejoy, NCDENR Division of Soil and Water Conservation Area II Coordinator propose to help facilitate placing a working lands property into conservation easement and help develop a long term management plan for the property.  The nine acre property along the New River has the potential to be used as a local educational resource. 

Lessons learned from the process will be shared statewide with other local soil and water conservation district offices as well as additional collected resources regarding working land preservation.

Development of Solid Waste Rules for Transfer Stations and Recovery, Processing and Storage Facilities, pursuant to 15A NCAC 13 B

Natural Resources Leadership Institute Practicum was a one year series of meetings and communications of stakeholders – all intent on the composition of Rules for the transfer, recovery, processing and storage of Solid Waste.  As of the July Practicum report a version of the rules was made available for stakeholders to review and comment on.  Although rulemaking and moving the regulations through the interagency processes may continue for up to an additional year, the regulated community can be ensured that a final product is within sight.   

Stakeholders now understand that the agency wants their input and will work with them to develop reasonable regulations. They understand some of our concerns and problems such as legislative directive, lack of regulation, demand from environmental groups for regulation and demands from the operators for minimum regulation. A major concern by industry shareholders, who could be subject to penalty for operating outside the rules, is clarity concerning compliance issues. By including the compliance issues in the rules we addressed exactly how the state considered that a transfer station needed to be operated, preventing notices of violations from occurring at the facilities.  The regulated community now has a better understanding of the General Assembly mandated process that the agency must develop rules under. Many of the stakeholders did not know the restrictions, or their rights and responsibilities in the process. This understanding will prevent delays and miscommunication in future rulemaking.

ESTABLISHING A COLLABORATIVE GROUP TO SUPPORT THE PISGAH AND NANTAHALA NATIONAL FORESTS

The Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests make up more than one million acres in Western North Carolina, and are among the most visited national forests in the United States.  Forest lands are popular for recreation, home to ten federally-listed threatened and endangered species, and a number of rare ecosystems.  Historically, forest interest groups have not been in agreement about what activities are appropriate and what management priorities should be emphasized on national forest lands.  Decreasing federal funding has made it vital to build partnerships with external groups to accomplish priority resource management and restoration activities.

The initial goal of this project was get the necessary approvals to establish a FACA-based advisory committee for the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.  However, we were not able to get approval for this from the agency’s Washington Office.   Since a FACA-based committee could not be established, other successful collaborative group models were studied, and useful elements identified for planning North Carolina’s collaborative group. 

The first effort toward a collaborative group will be centered on the “restoration” needs for North Carolina’s national forests – building on regional restoration efforts begun in 2007.  A steering team representing various interest groups has met, a core group of scientific advisors has been identified, and invitations will be going out in June for initial meetings in July and August of 2008. 

The primary goals for this “Restoration Collaboration” are:

• External interests will help identify and prioritize restoration topics. 
• The Forest Service and external groups will identify specific projects to help meet restoration goals.
• Partnerships and funding opportunities will be identified to accomplish priority restoration projects.
• Representatives will become more knowledgeable on the science regarding key issues relating to the restoration of forest resources.
• Group representatives will network with one another, building trust and improving relationships.

FORMING AN INTERAGENCY COALITION TO ADDRESS INVASIVE EXOTIC SPECIES ON A LANDSCAPE SCALE IN NORTH CAROLINA:  THE NORTH CAROLINA INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL

Invasive exotic species pose a steadily increasing threat to biodiversity in North Carolina and beyond.  This threat is particularly serious in our parks, natural areas, and preserves, as they are some of the last remaining expanses of high quality natural communities in a landscape dominated by development.  Although awareness of the threat of invasive exotic species seems to be increasing, most land managers lack the necessary resources and time to control these infestations and prevent their spread. 

The overall goal of this practicum project was to create a coordinated, state-wide effort to aggressively and significantly reduce that threat, particularly in high quality habitats.  The original intent of the project was to create a seasonal crew within the Division of Parks and Recreation that would work across the state in our parks and natural areas to achieve that goal; however, the focus was later shifted to establishing an inter-agency partnership that would share resources to achieve exotic invasive control goals across the broader landscape.

North Carolina’s Southeast Coastal Plain: Building & Sustaining Relationships Between Conservation Organizations and Private Landowners.

Southeastern North Carolina is recognized as an area of extraordinary biodiversity. Several species, including more than a dozen carnivorous plants, have all or most of their global range in the lower coastal plain. Most of these rare plants are under pressure from development and altered land uses.

In addition to its biological diversity, the area is unique because it still contains large acreages of working forests in private ownership. The majority of this land is utilized for timber production with modest attempts at environmental stewardship. Suppression of fire, ditching, and lack of riparian buffers are all examples of land management practices that threaten water quality and the exceptional flora and fauna that inhabit these areas.

Within this geographic region, more than fifteen government agencies, non-profit conservation organizations and advocacy groups are active in sustaining the area’s significant natural resources and working lands. Although this is an incredible collection of resources, there is no maintained connection between the conservation community and private landowners who are the custodians of many of the lands that sustain these unique ecosystems. The goal of this project is to establish a landowner-led group that will act as a conduit for information from the conservation community to the area's private landowners.

WAKE COUNTY GREENWAYS AND TRAILS CONSORTIUM:  IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY THROUGH STAKEHOLDER DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

The Wake County Greenway and Trails Consortium was developed to address the growing need of developing an interconnected system of greenways and trails that were fragmented by increased development in Wake County.  Concentrated development of the County’s multiple municipalities has lead to greenway and trail fragmentation that ill-serves the residents of the region that use the system for increased benefits such as health and fitness, transportation, increased quality of life, natural resource protection and the positive increased protection of their property values. 

The Wake County Greenways and Trails Consortium has been designed to bring together local professional planners and managers that have an impact on redirecting the policy of development in their own communities.  To accomplish this goal, the Consortium provides local professionals and advocates the tools to accomplish this focused goal and break down the barriers that hinder greenway and trail connectivity through issue identification, problem solving and education.

Johnston County Natural Resource InitiativeJohnson County Natural Resource Initiative

Johnson County Nat

USDA Forest Service Forest (USFS) Inventory and Analysis data has shown a decrease in timberland in North Carolina since 1974. However, the losses during the most recent period, 1990‐2002, show a net loss of 1 million acres; mostly driven by conversion to urban land use. Much of this conversion is occurring in the Research Triangle area in which growth has outpaced other areas in the state. Johnston County is comprised of a series of traditionally rural communities located on the periphery of the research triangle. The US Census Bureau states that Johnston County has experienced a 24.8% increase in its population since 2000 and according to state demographics it is the fifth fastest growing county in the state. Johnston County’s growth over the last decade has presented challenges in providing services for a growing population. County officials are interested in ensuring smart growth in their communities, especially where existing and proposed schools and grey infrastructure are involved. Although it is not considered a top priority, there is concern for the green infrastructure as well.

In recent years, county officials have formed a Growth Management Committee to make recommendations for preserving the character and individuality of the diverse urban and rural areas in the county. In addition, the need for a countywide open space / recreation plan was identified in a Land Use Planning Guidance report prepared for the county by a consultant. My leadership role was to work with the NC Division Forest Resources Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator to pursue a USFS Green Infrastructure Planning grant and assist in coordinating several advisory meetings as part of the project.

These advisory groups are now meeting regularly and are able to share resources and information about common efforts going on in the county. Through a USFS Green Infrastructure Grant, a natural resource assessment is underway with input from local stakeholders. To date, the advisory committee has met regularly and one stake holder meeting has been convened to introduce the general public to the proposed resource assessment.

For additional information on the project, visit: http://jcnri.wikispaces.com