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Regional Planning Updates
Currently, there are 14 local and regional open space planning efforts encompassing 92 counties across North Carolina. These local and regional efforts will provide invaluable information to be used in the development of the One North Carolina Naturally statewide conservation plan. Consistent data from each of these Regional Plans is being incorporated into the One North Carolina Naturally decision support tool, and the data will be continually updated to remain current.
Since the last newsletter, One North Carolina Naturally has added 3 new groups to the regional planning effort:
· Cape Fear Council of Governments in the South Coastal Plain region,
· Albemarle Commission in the North Coastal Plain region, and
· High Country Council of Governments in the North Mountains region.
Ongoing Open Space Planning Efforts Across North Carolina
North Coastal Plain
The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments
(Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, and Wilson counties)
The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG) agreed in January to provide a regional strategy for open space conservation, as part of the One North Carolina Naturally program established by NC DENR. Chris Lukasina and Dennis Patton facilitated workshops in each of the five UCPCOG counties, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders who showed an excellent level of support. Each workshop resulted in updating an inventory of existing conservation resources, identifying near-term planned resources and developing areas for future focus. The project concluded in June with a regional meeting at which results of the workshops were shared with participants and area planners. The final report has been submitted to NC DENR. The Upper Coastal Plain Region Open Space Strategy is available on the UCPCOG website: http://www.ucpcog.org/pds/OpenSpace.html
Albemarle Commission
(Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties)
The Albemarle Commission is working with NC DENR to develop an Open Space Plan for 10 counties in the northeast corner of the state. The process will be getting underway soon and is anticipated that this project will be completed this fall.
http://www.ucpcog.org
http://www.mideastcom.org
South Coastal Plain
Eastern Carolina Council
(Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Onslow, Pamlico and Wayne counties)
The Eastern Carolina Council (ECC) has contracted with NC DENR to complete an Open Space Plan for the nine counties served by ECC. At this time, meetings have been held in all nine counties with concerned and knowledgeable individuals. The purpose of these meetings was to gather input. ECC created a map for each county and, using Basin Pro GIS data provided by the Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, identified areas of existing open space. The meeting participants were asked to accomplish three tasks: 1) to verify the existing information; 2) to identify parcels for which there were known plans for open space; and 3) to identify future, desired open space. Attendees provided the requested input. Additionally, GIS data is being obtained from other knowledgeable sources. It is anticipated that this project will be completed this fall. This plan is important to the future of eastern North Carolina.
http://www.eccog.org
Cape Fear Council of Governments
(Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender counties)
The Cape Fear Council of Governments will work with NC DENR to create an Open Space Strategy and Map for the four counties within the program boundary of the Cape Fear Council of Governments. The strategy document and its associated maps will combine into one place, spatial and attribute data on all existing private and public protected areas in the regions; significant, known conservation opportunities in the region, and areas where local and some State entities plan to pursue protection projects in the near future. During July 2004 and August 2004, data layers will be compiled, created, cleaned, and put together into base maps for the county meetings. All county meetings will be held in September through October 31, 2004. Draft Open Space Strategy and Maps will be available for review by interested parties from November 1 to 30, 2004 including holding regional meeting. The final document and its associated map will be completed by December 31, 2004.
www.capefearcog.org
Sandhills
Sustainable Sandhills
(Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Richmond, and Scotland counties and Fort Bragg)
Sustainable Sandhills, a regional partnership involving many parties throughout the Sandhills of North Carolina, has been active developing projects and applying for grants for region-wide plans that address a variety of topics, as well as planning to become a stand-alone nonprofit organization. The five Community Resource Teams (Air, Energy, Land Use, Materials Use &Waste, and Water) each have a project in the planning stages, and if grant funding comes through, all will be underway later this year. The Land Use Team has applied for an EPA grant and will develop a regional sustainability plan, beginning with a "land suitability" analysis using GIS maps and community workshops to prepare priorities for the regional community. The Air Team has also applied for an EPA grant and is working on voluntary retrofit of diesel vehicles, and testing of biodiesel in school buses. The Energy Team, a new member of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, is planning a workshop on addressing barriers to solar system installation and use. The Materials Use & Waste Team will host a workshop for local governments on developing Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policies, with technical assistance from NC DENR DPPEA. The Water Team plans to host a workshop on Low Impact Development (LID) for builders, developers, and the real estate community, working with partners from throughout the state, as part of a series on LID. Contact Rusty Harris-Bishop at 910.432.3564, harrisbishoprm@bragg.army.mil.
www.sustainablesandhills.org
Mid-East Commission
(Beaufort, Bertie, Hertford, Martin, and Pitt counties)
Mid-East Commission staff scheduled and conducted a series of three meetings to solicit input for this plan. Correspondence was sent to each county, and all of the municipalities within these counties asking them to participate. Correspondence was also sent to the Nature Conservancy, Weyerhaeuser, International Paper, Georgia Pacific, NCDOT, and all five county Soil and Water Conservation Offices. An Open Space presentation was made at the Mid-East Commission monthly board meeting, which includes community leaders from all five Counties. Planners from the Mid-East Commission also mentioned this in several other venues in order to increase participation. Mid-East Commission staff is currently refining maps of property that has been conserved or in which there is interest in conserving.
www.mideastcom.org
Eastern Piedmont
Triangle J Council of Governments
(Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange and Wake counties)
In its first two phases, the Triangle GreenPrint Project worked with a range of public and private organizations and agencies to develop a regional vision of a linked network of green space throughout the Triangle. Now the project is in its Tracking and Coordination Phase (Phase 3). Using a special web-based data submission system, project staff are collecting information on all the land protection and trails projects planned throughout the region over the next five years. These projects will then be compared with the places identified in earlier phases of the GreenPrint to measure the progress the region is making toward protecting a linked network of green space. This information will also help land management organizations identify new land protection opportunities and serve as a catalyst for greater cross-jurisdictional collaboration on land protection and trails initiatives. The GreenPrint Project is a collaborative initiative of the Triangle J Council of Governments, the Triangle Land Conservancy, and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, working closely with local governments, land trusts, and other partners throughout the Triangle. For more information, contact Ben Hitchings, Triangle J Council of Governments, (benh@tjcog.org; 919/558-9397).
http://www.tjcog.dst.nc.us
Central Piedmont
Piedmont Triad Council of Governments
(Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties)
The Piedmont Triad Council of Governments (PTCOG) worked with NC DENR in the winter and spring of 2003 to create an Open Space Plan for the 12-County Piedmont-Triad Region (all counties in Regions G and I). The plan and its associated maps combine in one place, 1) the spatial and attribute data on all existing private and public protected areas in the regions; 2) significant, known conservation opportunities in the region, and 3) areas where local governments and some State entities plan to pursue protection projects in the near future. The final report is available at
http://www.ptcog.org/files/openspace.pdf
South Piedmont
Isothermal Planning & Development Commission
(Cleveland, McDowell, Polk and Rutherford counties)
In an effort to promote the conservation of open space in Region C, Isothermal Planning & Development Commission is working, in partnership with the NC DENR, on the initial steps of a regional open space plan. This is part of a larger effort across the state, and includes gathering of open space data for the creation of GIS layers; preparation of a Public Outreach Plan; and review of created data by GIS professionals and conservation interests. The Isothermal Planning & Development Commission is currently finishing up the first task, and is beginning the preparation of its Public Outreach Plan. It is hoped that these steps will lead, with both local government and financial support, to a larger regional open space planning effort.
www.regionc.org
Centralina Council of Governments
(Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, and Union counties)
Centralina Council of Governments is actively engaged in the Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life (SQEL) program. SQEL is a 15-county, bi-state effort in the Charlotte metropolitan region to integrate environmental considerations into all aspects of planning and economic reinvestment. This program is regional in its vision and influence, but local in application, with more than 50 jurisdictions signed on to the project. SQEL involves elected officials, local government staffs, business and industry groups, economic development groups and environmental stakeholder groups working together toward viable solutions to regional growth.
SEQL promotes implementation of specific Action Items on Air Quality, Sustainable Growth and Water Resources and consideration of environmental impacts in decision-making at local and regional levels. The EPA program recently honored Centralina Council of Governments and Catawba Regional Council of Governments for leadership and innovation to improve the environment.
http://www.centralina.org/seql/
North Mountains
Western Piedmont Council of Governments
(Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties)
The Western Piedmont Council of Governments has made two open space maps available on their website. The first is the Upper Catawba River Trail, an 82-mile trail that goes from Lake James to Lake Lookout Shoals and includes 24 access points and 4 portages. The trail was recently dedicated and 10,000 maps are available to the public. The second is the Recreation Inventory Map.
www.wpcog.dst.nc.us
High Country Council of Government
(Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties)
The High Country Council of Government recently contracted with DENR to compile base data needed to begin an open space planning process for the seven-county region. The COG has started the process of contacting local conservation groups and agencies to identify conservation-related land use patterns and plans. The project is expected to be completed in Fall 2004.
http://www.regiond.org/
South Mountains
Land of Sky Regional Council
(Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties)
The Land of Sky Regional Council presented an open space base map for Region B to an enthusiastic group on June 4. County planners, environmentalists, land trust staff, mappers, and state officials were in the audience to review the maps and discuss ways to preserve open space in the future. The One NC Naturally Program contracted with Land-of-Sky to develop the base data for a regional open space plan and to layout a process for assembling an open space action plan. This meeting provided a chance for a variety of organizations and individuals to discuss local conservation needs and opportunities. The map presented at the meeting displays federal, state, and local government open space holdings as well as lands managed by land trust and other conservation organizations. Region B will complete their mapping and conceptual open space plan this summer. Similar meetings are scheduled for other areas in Western North Carolina. For more information contact Tom Elmore at (828) 251-6622 or tom@landofsky.org.
http://www.landofsky.org/GIS/maps.htm.
Southwestern Commission
(Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties)
The Southwestern North Carolina Planning and Economic Development Commission has worked with the local land trust to ensure their properties are identified. Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College have good GIS data sets including land conservation efforts and areas to target. Staff members have picked out County/Town properties, US Forest Service land, game lands, parks and greenways. County level maps have been updated with the newly acquired parcel data. The digital data can be presented to each county for analysis.
On March 19th, the Mountains Region GIS users group (MRGAC) held a meeting at Land-of- Sky Regional Council. GIS professionals from eight counties and towns and four other agencies reviewed the existing database, the new data that has been collected, and the project methodology as a requirement of the grant. The draft database is being presented to each county GIS department for parcel verification, which should be completed no later than July 12th.
An outreach plan to identify stakeholders and collect their input in the creation of a regional open space plan is being developed. The plan is to include categories such as Introduction/History, Planning Objectives, Open Space Opportunities, Public Involvement and Implementation Strategies. Staff continues to work with adjacent regions on plan development ideas and strategies to create an open space plan that supports region A and surrounding counties.
http://www.regiona.org
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