Schedule for One NCNaturally Meetings
Sponsored by Z. Smith Reynolds

Register to attend one of the following meetings:

• To provide a brief update on the One North Carolina Naturally initiative and the progress that has been made over the past two years;
  
• To host a panel providing regional planners an opportunity to share their progress and experiences in their open space planning efforts;
  
• To demonstrate the online mapping tool that CGIA is developing to support decisions about open space planning; and
  
• To wrap up with a discussion on ways to facilitate local and regional open space planning goals/needs.

Exhibits
There will be limited space for exhibits at these meetings to display open space planning efforts or other related programs dealing with conservation.

Background
Since our last series of regional meetings two years ago, we have taken your feedback and worked diligently to promote a statewide conservation plan for North Carolina:

• By providing coordination among the state's conservation interests and funding sources;
  
• By providing funding for the development of regional open space plans; and
  
• By providing education through our Partnership in Conservation Conference in April 2003, the Working Lands Summit at the Soil and Water Annual District meeting in January 2004, and the two Forest Summits held this summer in Smithfield and Statesville.
  
  

We are also working with the Center for Geographic Information and Analysis and the Carolina Environment Program at UNC-Chapel Hill to develop a decision support tool that will assist local and regional planners, conservation organizations and others to better coordinate development and conservation. This tool will promote greater connectivity of our forests, farms and open space to optimize the economic, environmental and quality of life benefits we gain through conservation.

Currently, 14 local and regional open space planning efforts encompass 92 counties across North Carolina. These local and regional efforts will provide invaluable information for use in the development of the One North Carolina Naturally statewide conservation plan.