Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
The Valerie H. Schindler Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the Zoological Park was established for the care and husbandry of injured and orphaned native wildlife, until they are ready for release back into the wild, as well as caring for education animals housed at the park. 6.5.3 NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) The mission of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is to provide science-based environmental stewardship that supports the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians. This mission is carried out through several divisions, each focused on different aspects of the state’s natural resources, including air quality, coastal management, energy, mineral and land resources, marine fisheries, and water resources. The NCDEQ also includes a division dedicated to mitigating impacts on jurisdictional aquatic resources. Many of these efforts are conducted in partnership with the NCWRC and various federal agencies. The sections below outline key conservation programs led by NCDEQ divisions. 6.5.3.1 NC Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) protects, conserves, and manages North Carolina’s coastal resources through an integrated program of planning, permitting, education, and research. North Carolina’s coastal zone includes 20 coastal counties that in whole or in part are adjacent to, adjoining, intersected, or bounded by the Atlantic Ocean or any coastal sound. The NCDCM carries out the state’s Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) (NCDEQ 2025d) , the Dredge and Fill Law, and the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 in the 20 coastal counties using rules and policies established by the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC). The NCDCM provides staffing services to the CRC, implements CRC rules and issues CAMA permits. The NCDCM is home to the NC Coastal Reserve (NCCR) and NC National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR), a network of 10 protected sites established for long-term research, education, and stewardship. The NCCR and NCNERR together protect more than 44,000 acres of estuarine land and water, which provide essential habitat for wildlife, offer educational opportunities, and serve as living laboratories for scientists. Information about these resources is available online at https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/coastal-management/nc-coastal- reserve. While the NCDCM is part of the NCDEQ, it also works with the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (https://coast.noaa.gov/states/stories/?redirect=301ocm), part of NOAA. Additionally, NOAA administers the Federal Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) that offers coastal states cost sharing for land conservation efforts, with the funds provided through an annual competitive process among eligible states. The NC Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Plan provides an assessment of priority conservation needs and guidance for nominating and selecting land conservation projects. More information is available on the NOAA website https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/landconservation.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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