Do North Carolinians really want lawmakers to fund conservation projects? How much does the state spend annually, by county, on these needs? How big a return does the state see on its investment in land and water protection? And what are North Carolina’s most beloved natural areas? Here’s how we make the case for conservation.
Each year, Land for Tomorrow compiles the Green Book, a county-by-county accounting of what North Carolina has spent to date on conservation. Each Green Book also includes highlights of recent conservation successes.
Download other reports, polls, studies and other research collected by Land for Tomorrow for information about North Carolina’s natural heritage and what North Carolinians are willing to do to protect it. (All are .pdf files.)
- Voters Support Conservation Spending, Policy – 2011 Poll / News Release
- NC’s Return on Conservation Investment – 2011 Report / Summary
- Unfulfilled Promise: The Million Acres Initiative – 2010 Report
- Voters Support Conservation Funding – 2009 Poll / News Release
- Housing Density: Rural to Suburban in Less Than a Century – 2007 Report
‘Saving the Goodliest Land’
In 2005, Land for Tomorrow released “Saving the Goodliest Land: A Five-Year Plan for Investing in North Carolina’s Land, History and Future.” This study laid out the coalition’s initial recommendations for protecting critical water, farmland, parks and trails, gamelands, and other areas of natural and cultural importance to all North Carolinians. Our recommendations evolve as the economy, the environment and other circumstances change. But “Saving the Goodliest Land” is still a valuable resource for understanding the threats to our state’s unique natural and cultural heritage, and what we can do to address those threats.
- Executive Summary
- Main Report
- Appendices A-D: Economy/Jobs, Public Health/Safety, Quality of Life
- Appendix E: Land Conservation Financing Study
- Appendix F: Land & Facility Needs for Local Parks & Recreation
- Appendix G: Survey of Farmland Owners
- Appendix H: Poll of Voters on Environmental Issues
- Appendix I: State Conservation Spending 1999-2004
- Maps
