Tax Relief for Wildlife Conservation
Help Support Wildlife Conservation on Private Lands

Contact your NC Senator and Representative today and ask them to support farmers who want to protect wildlife habitat.

Use this link to determine your NC Legislators:

http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/Representation/Who_Represents_Me/Who_Represents_Me.html

Senate Bill 1203, "Present Use Value Changes" (Sponsored by Representative Nesbitt) is designed to provide Wildlife Conservation Property Tax Relief for landowners who manage their lands for critical wildlife habitat and other conservation benefits.

Why Support Wildlife Conservation Property Tax Relief?

Private farm and forest landowners throughout NC face significantly higher property taxes when they manage their lands for wildlife habitat or water quality, compared to similar landowners engaged in commercial agriculture or forestry. These conservation-focused landowners are forced to pay higher taxes than their neighbors while voluntarily reducing their potential income, and, at the same time, assisting the state in meeting its conservation goals.

North Carolina loses 100,000 acres of forests annually. And the state leads the nation in the loss of farms and farmland. These rural, privately owned lands are essential for wildlife habitat, water quality, and other benefits on which we all depend. Many private landowners want to maintain their forests and open farmland, even if they are no longer involved in commercial agriculture or forestry. Unfortunately, without property tax relief, many may be forced to sell their farms - drastically altering NC's beautiful landscape and heritage, and forcing families to sell land that's been handed down for generations.

What does Wildlife Conservation Property Tax Relief provide?

Senate Bill 1203 provides equitable property tax treatment for landowners, whether they actively produce agricultural commodities or forest products, or manage their lands to protect wildlife habitat or water quality. Specifically, the bill would provide greater landowner choice by establishing a use value category for lands actively managed for wildlife conservation. Wildlife lands would be valued as forest or farmland, but only if a wildlife management plan has been approved by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

To see the North Carolina Wildlife Federation Resolution on this issue please go to this link: http://www.ncwildlifefederation.org/home/2006archive.htm