Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
Species) or habitats (see Chapter 4 Habitats) are addressed within the appropriate natural community or river basin sections of this Plan. Other education and outreach information is available on the NCWRC website https://www.ncwildlife.gov/education. 6.3.4.1 Public Education Education, outreach, and recreation initiatives are components of successful wildlife conservation because they provide a way to connect natural resource agencies and organizations to citizens that comprise the broader conservation community. This community includes students and educators, public and private landowners, urban and rural residents, special interest and user groups (e.g., birders, hikers, paddlers, sportsmen and women), as well as local governments, corporations, and other natural resource stakeholders. State fish and wildlife agencies have a mandate to manage shared public wildlife resources for this broad constituency. The NCWRC’s Wildlife Education program provides publications and resources through which the public and educators can learn about wildlife, natural history, and outdoor skills. The NCWRC runs the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville to provide family- oriented fishing experiences and education. Distance-learning opportunities and in-service training opportunities are regularly offered online. Visit the education information website https://www.ncwildlife.gov/education/classes-workshops-events. Outdoor skill experiences that are hands-on, participatory training that can increase a person’s ability to enjoy and experience wildlife resources (e.g., orienteering, fly fishing, photography). Women who are interested in connecting with the outdoors can take advantage of the NCWRC’s Outdoor Skills Academy. This program is designed for adventurous women aged 18 and up, as a hands-on experience that empowers them to explore, learn, and thrive in the great outdoors. Expert-led workshops in shooting, hunting, fishing, and conservation are designed to boost confidence and independence in nature. Online https://www.ncwildlife.gov/education/outdoor-skills-academy. Improved public education is critical to reducing human-induced threats and impacts to sensitive species and habitats. Humans have great influence and impact on sensitive environments such as coastal beaches, dunes, and estuarine habitats. Residential development in coastal areas can create impacts such as beach lighting and beach management practices (e.g., fencing, dredging, beach renourishment) that affect beach-nesting sea turtles and birds. Commercial and recreational activities, such as boating and fishing (which can cause collisions, ghost line impacts, by-catch concerns), disturb and threaten coastal wildlife such as Diamondback Terrapins, sea turtles, and marine mammals. Education about human impacts on other sensitive environments, such as isolated wetlands, bogs, caves and mines, and rock outcrops, will be critical for the continued protection of these sites.
Prescribed burning is used as a forest management tool to reduce fuels and the risk of wildfire, and for ecosystem restoration, oak regeneration, understory control, and wildlife conservation.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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