On April 9th NC Forever presented its second annual Lands and Waters Conservation Budget Briefing to a partners, conservation stakeholders, and others at the offices of Brooks Pierce in Raleigh.
The briefing highlighted the work NC Forever has done, is doing, and plans to do on behalf on NC’s lands and waters and gave insight into our state’s past, current, and future economic outlook as it pertains to land and water conservation.
The briefing kicked off with a presentation by RTI’s George van Houten on the key di nfdings from RTI’s 20-23 update of a report that NC Forever and RTI released originally in 2018, North Carolina’s Land and Water: Yesterday, Today and Forever. After that North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management’s Budget Director Kristen Walker reviewed the state budget situation with a special focus on aspects affecting conservation funding. Following the budget presentation, a panel discussion with Coastal Management’s newly appointed Director Tancred Miller, NC Parks Director Brian Strong, and Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. Mr. Miller talked about the need for good maps in order to conserve crucial coast habitats and the promise of the Resilient Coast Communities Program. Mr. Strong spoke of possible strong support for state and local parks int he then soon-to-be-released budget from the Governor. Commissioner Troxler made an eloquent and strong plea for farmland preservation.
The briefing also included project spotlights from Dr. Hans Paerl of FerryMon and ModMon and Tom Earnhardt and Richard Taylor on the creation of the Tar River State Forest.
To celebrate the event’s success, the NC Forever board shared oysters with friends at the Person Street Bar where NC Forever co-chair Michelle Wells presented Representative Kyle Hall with the NC Forever’s 2023 Legislator of the Year Award!
View the entire video below or start the video at these specific presentations:
- Dr George Van Houtven presents RTI’s 2023 Study on NC’s Land and Water Funding
- OSBM Director Kristin Walker presents 2024 budget insights
- NC Forever Successes Tom Earnhardt and Richard Taylor on the Tar River State Forest and Dr Hans Pearl on FerryMon and ModMon
- Panel with Commissioner Steve Troxler, Coastal Management Director Tancred Miller, and State Parks Director Brian Strong
Special thanks to our event sponsor, NC Realtors!