• Over 50 percent of the significant Natural Heritage Areas in North Carolina remain unprotected.

• 34 percent of North Carolina's coastal wetlands have been altered to the point that they no longer serve their natural function in protecting water quality.

• The rate at which we are developing farm and forest land in NC has increased 16 percent from 1982 to 1997 – from 87,000 acres annually to 101,000 annually.

• The State of North Carolina is losing 277 acres of open space a day to development.

• The population of North Carolina is expected to increase by 35 percent from 2000 to 2020 from 8 million to 10.8 million.

• Recent floods have led to billions of dollars of structural damage due to inappropriate floodplain development.

• Support for the protection of open space in North Carolina has been demonstrated by the fact that seven of nine open space bond referenda have passed in the state since 1997 with a 64 percent approval rating.

• Essential wildlife habitat is lost and the connectivity of wildlife corridors is broken when development is allowed to proceed without proper open space planning.

• The addition of open space and vegetated buffer areas would enhance water quality by offsetting degradation related to urbanization, agricultural and construction activities.

• Securing a strong network of protected open space in North Carolina is essential for maintaining a high quality of life for the state's residents as well as the economic vitality to attract more businesses.

• This initiative will provide much needed support to the many local initiatives underway to protect and restore water quality and natural resources in the state.