2.3 Natural Resources Changes
F IGURE 2.1
Projected population growth by county, 2030–2035 (NCOSBM 2015)
growth. Tis rate of growth spurred a request by these municipalities for a 38% increase in water withdrawals from the Cape Fear River Basin for drinking water supplies. Growth around these urban areas also resulted in new roads, expanded highway capacity through widening, additional utility infrastructure, and increased commercial-, education-, and health-related development. 2.3 Natural Resources Changes North Carolina has diverse fsh and wildlife habitats statewide (see Chapter 4 for descrip- tions) that link North Carolina to neighboring states. Te Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) periodically conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) NRCS reports the status, condition, and trends in soil, water, and other natural resources on nonfederal lands in the US (USDA 2009added) . Te most recent inventory for North Carolina estimates the total surface area of the state, including freshwaters, to be more than 33 million acres (USDA 2009added) . Based on estimates reported in the latest NRI, most land ownership in North Carolina is characterized as nonfederal rural lands, which means that nearly all land is in private, municipal, state, or tribal ownership (USDA 2013) . Te NC Forest Service reports approximately 86% of the farm and forest land holdings in North Carolina are privately owned land (NCFS 2013) . Tis NRI is a key resource in consideration on private lands.
11
2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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