When the Million Acre Initiative began in January 1999, approximately 2.8 million acres — 9% of the state — were permanently protected in North Carolina. At least 112,000 additional acres have been permanently protected during the initiative's first two years. Upon reaching the million acre goal in 2009, North Carolina will contain at least 3.8 million acres of land are permanently protected through the federal, state and local governments, and private, nonprofit groups. That's approximately 12% of the state's 31 million acres of land.

Below are links that track our progress toward one million acres. Click on a selection for details.

Million Acre lands
Click here to read about some of the lands that are protected as part of the Million Acre Initiative.

Data
Click here for a map of permanently protected lands in North Carolina, as well as a pie chart showing who owns these lands.

Reports
Click here to read the initiative's annual reports.