Land Trusts Recognize Wake County with Conservation Award

September 2006

North Carolina's coalition of 24 local and regional land trusts presented the Wake County Board of Commissioners with the "Local Government Conservationist of the Year" award for their outstanding commitment to protecting land and water resources in North Carolina. TLC's executive director Kevin Brice presented the award on Aug. 21 at an Open Space Celebration put on by Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space.

The award is given each year to a local government in the state to recognize their partnership with land trusts to protect land, clean drinking water, and air quality in North Carolina. Wake County was recognized for their bold visionary leadership in open space planning and conservation funding. TLC's Kevin Brice nominated the state agency for the award.

"Wake County's commissioners and conservation staff are leaders in open space protection, and their leadership is collaborative and inclusive," said Brice. "They reached out to the county's municipalities and nonprofit conservation groups to define protection priorities, and the County is invested in the entire process -- from planning to partnerships to funding. Wake County's commissioners and conservation staff are catalysts for getting conservation done quickly before the opportunity is lost in this rapidly developing part of North Carolina."

Wake County was responsible for leading voters in passing two open space bonds, totaling $41 million, in 2000 and 2004. The County launched its open space protection program with the first bond in November 2000, adding an open space component to the county parks and recreation department, creating a plan for conservation, and providing grants to each of the County's 12 municipalities for open space plans.

In 2002, the County adopted the Wake County Consolidated Open Space Plan, an ambitious plan that seeks to preserve 30 percent of the county's area for open space and create interconnected greenways, trails, and parks to link municipalities in the county to each other and with others outside the county's borders. Wake County is also using bond money to identify nine critical watersheds in the County and is putting a priority on purchasing land that protects sensitive drinking water sources.

The County has funded proposals from all 12 of its municipalities as well as conservation organizations such as TLC. To date, the county has worked with its partners to protect more than 2,400 acres using $15 million from the 2000 Open Space Bond and has leveraged an additional $17 million in conservation funding from other sources.

"Wake County is a testament to the power of local government," said Reid Wilson, executive director of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina and a member of the award's selection committee. "The County's implementation of its conservation plan is an example for other counties around the state and across the country. Their actions will not only preserve clean drinking water, air quality, and wildlife habitat in the Triangle, but will sustain the region's economy and quality of life for generations to come."