Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
6.2.2.14 North Carolina Land Trusts North Carolina has 21 local land trusts that work with landowners to ensure critical lands are protected for clean drinking water, recreation, tourism, healthy forests, and working farms that produce fresh, local foods. Land trusts range from small groups run by dedicated volunteers to large and complex organizations. These groups reflect the communities they serve—protecting a single river or open space within a town, building urban trails, or saving thousands of acres to create a new park. The one trait shared by all is a passion for protecting North Carolina’s unique natural heritage. Find a land trust by visiting Preservation North Carolina online at https://www.presnc.org/nc-land-trusts-conservation-organizations. 6.2.3 Conservation Tools and Data Resources for NC Conservation occurs across the landscape on many different scales, and currently, there is no single resource that maps where land conservation occurs. Several Geographic Information System (GIS) and map viewer tools representing different aspects of conservation in North Carolina are available on the internet. This section highlights a few of the mapping tools that are beneficial to conservation planning. Some of the tools rely on others to provide spatial data, and as such, the benefits from using the tool will rely on the quality of data provided. 6.2.3.1 NC OneMap Geospatial Portal NC OneMap is the geospatial backbone supporting North Carolina data and map service users. It is an organized effort of numerous partners throughout North Carolina, involving local, state, and federal government agencies, the private sector, and academia. NC OneMap is an evolving initiative directed by the NC Geographic Information Coordinating Council (GICC). GICC adopted this comprehensive initiative in partnership with county, municipal, state, and federal data providers. Online at https://www.nconemap.gov. The program promotes a vision for geospatial data standards; data currency, maintenance, and accessibility; data documentation (i.e., metadata); and a statewide GIS inventory. Thirty-seven priority data themes were selected as the initial focus, and critical information captured in geospatial datasets includes aerial imagery, land records, transportation, regulatory data, demographics, governmental boundaries, and marine and natural resources. 6.2.3.2 NC Natural Heritage Data Explorer The NC Natural Heritage Data Explorer provides interactive access for viewing most of the conservation data available statewide and all of the data compiled and managed by the NC Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP). The data comprise maps of the best natural areas with the highest-quality habitats for rare plants and wildlife in our state. NCNHP provides training on how to use the Data Explorer. More information is provided on the NCNHP web page https://ncnhde.natureserve.org.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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