NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE FEDERATION GAME LANDS PROJECT

 

The Issue

 

Some two million acres of public and private lands in North Carolina are managed by the Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) for public hunting, trapping and fishing, and are designated collectively as game lands – about 343,000 of these acres are state owned. 

 

Thirty-nine percent of North Carolinians like to hunt, fish or watch wildlife.  North Carolina’s popularity has made it the 9th fastest growing state in the country, causing forests and farms to be developed and affecting the diversity of species where many people live.  Game lands serve a vital role in providing access to much-desired natural recreational activities such as hunting, fishing and exploring.   

 

The biggest challenge facing North Carolina is preserving enough natural space to keep up with the state’s tremendous population growth and accompanying development.  The challenges to conservation include:

 

·        North Carolina’s population – doubled since 1950 – now over 8 million

·        Development of 100,000 acres of farmland and forests every year

·        Fragmented forests and loss of farmland disrupting wildlife populations

·        More sediment running into rivers and less tree shade causing declining fish populations

 

The WRC is completing a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan, a federal requirement under the State Wildlife Grant program.  This plan will provide an essential foundation for the future of wildlife conservation and a stimulus to engage conservation partners to think strategically about their individual and coordinate roles in prioritizing conservation efforts across North Carolina.  

 

The main idea is to enhance habitat by creating wildlife corridors.  By linking two or more core preserves, there will be habitat large enough for a diversity of wildlife – including far ranging species that require vast territories.

 

North Carolina Wildlife Federation is a longtime partner of the WRC, and helped to found the agency in 1947.  NCWF is unique among state conservation groups with over 20 wildlife clubs affiliates who have a direct interest in North Carolina game lands.  For 60 years, NCWF has been advocating morally and ethically sound hunting and fishing based on good science.  Proper stewardship and management of the state’s wildlife and natural resources should always be the state’s top priority.

 

 

Benefits

 

Fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching are important to our economy.  Recreational anglers, hunters and wildlife watchers spend $2.8 billion per year in North Carolina, and commercial fishing adds $103 million in nineteen coastal counties.  Land conservation yields positive results, such as:

 

·        Vegetated buffers along streams and estuaries to protect habitat for fish

·        Forests and farmland that provide important wildlife habitat

·        Greater access to fishing, hunting and wildlife watching

·        Good business – traveling sportsmen and wildlife watchers supporting local lodging and restaurants

 

Creating additional game lands and natural areas enhances overall quality of life, creating benefits such as: 

 

·        Safe places for an increasingly urban population to hunt game species, and an opportunity for youth to participate in and carry on the role of stewardship

 

·        More places for everyone to enjoy the outdoors during non-hunting seasons

·        Protected habitat for native wildlife and plants, including endangered species

·        Protection of water quality for drinking, fishing, swimming and canoeing

·        Land available for managed timber harvest and a source of wood products, depending on the sensitivity of protected species

 

·        Hunting land as a preferred neighbor of military bases

 

Wildlife habitat is also greatly benefited when individual game lands – such as South Mountain – are enlarged, and when several game lands – such as Sandhills, Pee Dee River and Uwharrie National Forest – are linked into a contiguous wildlife corridor.

 

 

Priorities – Why Now?

 

The time is right for doubling the rate of land protection in North Carolina.  With land prices rising rapidly across the state, it will never be cheaper to buy land for game lands, parks, greenways and water quality than it is now.  More than 2,600 miles of the state's waters are too polluted to serve their purposes.  With base relocation and closings looming, the military wants state and local governments to protect North Carolina’s military bases from encroachment by incompatible development. 

 

Statewide land protection efforts are aligning to implement the new Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy with funding support from the federal State Wildlife Grant program, as well as state land and water trust funds.  Participants in this conservation initiative include:

 

·        North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

 

·        The Natural Heritage Program and One North Carolina Naturally, both under the auspices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

 

·        The Land For Tomorrow coalition, which includes North Carolina Wildlife Federation as a partner, along with land trusts and conservancies

 

The ten-year initiative, One North Carolina Naturally, has a mandated goal to preserve 1,000,000 acres by 2009, with 350,000 acres set aside so far.  This recent land acquisition activity has led the WRC to discover that they can increase their land protection estimates from 60,000 acres to more than 125,000 acres over a five-year period with proper funding.  North Carolina Wildlife Federation will work as the only sportsman-oriented conservation organization to help them surpass this goal.

 

 

What We Will Do

 

North Carolina Wildlife Federation stands tall in the conservation community with the unique ability to bring together anglers, hunters and outdoors enthusiasts from across the state to work on behalf of land stewardship.  NCWF will work to:

 

·        Encourage the General Assembly to fund $240 million for land protection and $15 million for inventories over five years

 

·        Advocate the ultimate goal of 150,000 acres of game lands preserved and the completion of natural heritage inventories in every county

 

·        Help state agencies identify key areas for wildlife habitat enhancement

 

·        Work with the individual land conservancies to include game lands in their strategic land protection plans

 

 

North Carolina Wildlife Federation, its Board of Directors and staff, launched the Game Lands Project in January 2005 with the goal of adding 150,000 acres to the state game land program by 2009.