Month: April 2024

Governor Cooper’s Budget Proposal Moves the Mark on Land and Water Conservation

Land for Tomorrow Coalition Commends Recommendations to Increase Funding for Conservation

The Land for Tomorrow Coalition commends Governor Cooper’s 2024 budget proposal for its commitment to protecting North Carolina’s state and local parks, farms, forests, and natural resources. If funded, this proposal is a significant step towards safeguarding the environment for future generations.

Governor Cooper recommends increasing allocations to the state’s conservation trust funds, including the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, Land and Water Fund, and the Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Fund. His proposal also recommends restoring the state’s conservation tax credit.

Bill Holman, chair of the Land for Tomorrow Coalition and senior advisor to the Conservation Fund, said, “The conservation community commends Governor Cooper for recommending that the General Assembly continue to invest in land and water conservation and resiliency. These investments will protect North Carolina’s natural treasures, conserve farms and forests, grow our outdoor recreation economy, help sustain our travel and tourism industry, and maintain military readiness.”

Governor Cooper’s budget proposal underscores a shared commitment to protecting North Carolina’s farms, forests, parks, and natural areas. These allocations emphasize the importance of environmental conservation in fostering a vibrant and resilient state. Highlights include:

READ THE FULL RECOMMENDATION HERE:
https://www.osbm.nc.gov/budget/governors-budget-recommendations

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Land for Tomorrow is a statewide coalition of community leaders, conservation and wildlife organizations, and parks and recreation advocates with a common goal: increasing land and water conservation in North Carolina.

 

Funding is Needed to Meet Public Demand

The public demand for outdoor recreation opportunities continues to grow in North Carolina.

Over 20,100,000 people visited NC State Parks in 2023 – a 4% increase over 2022. The statewide 2023 Year of the Trail successfully promoted our network of hiking, paddling, biking, and equestrian trails.

The Made X Mountains Partnership recently released the results of the Western North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Participation Survey, which found that outdoor recreation generated $4,900,000,000 in economic input, 48,000 full-time jobs, and $197,500,000 in local tax revenues just in 25 western North Carolina counties.

Conserving our land means success for our state.

Land for Tomorrow recommends the following and looks forward to working with the General Assembly to bolster the conservation of North Carolina’s natural places and working farms.

  • NC Land & Water Fund
    Increase funds to:

    • $30,000,000 recurring
    • $10,000,000 in non-recurring funds for FY 24-25
  • Parks & Recreation Trust Fund
    Increase funds to:

    • $30,000,000 recurring
    • $10,000,000 in non-recurring funds for FY 24-25
  • Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Fund
    We appreciate Commissioner Troxler’s strong support for farm and forestland conservation, and we support his requests.
    Increase funds to:

    • $10,000,000 recurring
  • Conservation Income Tax Credit
    Land for Tomorrow strongly supports H290, Protecting NC’s Military and Working Lands. H290 provides a powerful incentive for private landowners to conserve their land and to sell or donate land or easements at a discount.
  • Requests for Additional Staff
    Land for Tomorrow supports requests by the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, Wildlife Resources Commission, and Department of Agriculture for additional staff to manage new and expanded state parks, state trails, historic sites, wildlife management areas, and state forests.

Click here to download a PDF of our priorities for 2024.

To learn more about the impact of the conservation trust funds and see your tax dollars in action, follow Land for Tomorrow on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/L4TNC – and Twitter – https://twitter.com/land4tomorrow – as well as LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/land-for-tomorrow.

Land for Tomorrow is a statewide coalition of community leaders, conservation, and wildlife organizations, and parks and recreation advocates with a common goal: increasing land and water conservation in North Carolina.