6.9 Other Statewide Conservation Partners and Initiatives
with the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils. Additional information is available from its website (http://ncprescribedfrecouncil.org).
6.9.16 NC Sandhills Conservation Partnership (NCSCP) Te NCSCP was created in 2000 with the mission to protect, enhance, and restore the unique Sandhills environment. Te Partnership facilitates collaboration between various federal, state, and nonproft conservation groups for the purposes of conserving the vanish- ing Longleaf Pine ecosystem and recovering the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker in the NC Sandhills. Te NCSCP seeks input from more than 18 stakeholder organizations and has developed a landscape-level strategic conservation plan for the Sandhills. In addi- tion to traditional natural resource and land conservation organizations, the Partnership includes the US Army, a key partner in the region. Examples of successes that have been achieved as a result of the NCSCP include: more than 20,000 acres protected through collaborative land conservation eforts and leverag- ing of funds; the development of GIS data layers identifying the lands and waterways most important to natural resource conservation and management; the expansion and sharing of resources to improve land management including prescribed burning and invasive plant control; the development of a strategic plan that includes threat assessments, implemen- tation strategies, and monitoring; increased communication and collaboration between partners; the training of several local government land-use planning staf in the use of conservation data; and the recovery of the NC Sandhills population of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker to levels identifed in the national recovery plan. In addition, results compiled through a 10-year review conducted in 2010 indicate that NCSCP provides partners with invaluable opportunities to build their personal and profes- sional networks, to bolster internal capacity and support for accomplishing conservation objectives, and to demonstrate the success of the collaborative approach to conservation. Additional information is available from its website (www.ncscp.org). 6.9.17 Onslow Bight Conservation Forum Te Onslow Bight is a unique geographic landform located along the mid-coast region of North Carolina and includes all or portions of 13 coastal counties. Te landscape stretches from the lower Northeast Cape Fear River to the Pamlico River and from ofshore waters to approximately 40 miles inland. Te Onslow Bight contains large federal- and state-managed areas including three Marine Corps installations, the Croatan National Forest, and the Holly Shelter and Angola Bay state game lands. Te landscape contains rare and unusual animal and plant life such as the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Venus Flytrap,
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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