HABITAT MANAGEMENT
Partners for Green Growth • Pender County has held a project kick-off meeting and continues to develop a preferred development guide and model ordinances for incorporating wildlife conservation into their land use and development planning process. Partners for Green Growth cost-share funding is being used to evaluate the county’s current regulations pertaining to open space, the creation of conservation-based incentives and ordinances, outreach to landowners, developers, and staff, and the drafting of a preferred development guide. • Union County has selected a steering committee and has held a project kick-off meeting for their rural land use plan proj- ect funded through Partners for Green Growth cost-share. The steering committee plans to hold regular monthly meetings throughout the project and Catawba Land Conservancy has begun assessing habitats and land uses. • Chatham County has held kick-off meetings for the development of their county conservation plan. The plan will provide detailed implementation steps and metrics for guiding action on the numerous conservation goals identified in the Chatham County Comprehensive plan. Green Growth Toolbox Training • Due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the November Green Growth Toolbox Workshop was postponed until February 2025. • A full-day workshop is planned for the Charlotte area for January. • Staff presented the Green Growth Toolbox to NC Chapter of the Audubon Society's Urban Forestry Committee. • Staff are providing technical assistance on land use plans for the town of the towns of Cameron and Southport, and coun- ties of Orange and Harnett, on Durham's Unified Development Ordinance and the development of a conservation zoning over- lay, on Brunswick County’s Unified Development Ordinance, the Durham-Chapel Hill- Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Orga- nization's Wildlife Crossings Plan, with the City of Durham, Statesville, and Yadkin County on proposed rezonings, and lastly, with a developer ( M/I Homes) to integrate Green Growth Toolbox concepts into their planning and site design activities. • Staff are working with a developer in Orange County to certify a new development as a Wildlife Friendly Development. Cooperative Land Conservation • Over the past quarter, staff led and coordinated the Chatham Conservation Partnership (CCP) and Triangle Connectivity Collaborative (TCC). This included providing a presentation on habitat connectivity at the CCP quarterly meeting and coordi- nating with TCC partners over land use and transportation planning, and land conservation opportunities in Durham and Orange counties. • Staff contributed to and coordinated NCWRC's additions to the state's Natural and Working Lands Action Plan Progress Report, as required by EO 305. • Staff continued to coordinate NCWRC's Climate Resiliency Strategy, including updates on progress and preparation for including the Law Enforcement Division, the Communications, Marketing, and Digital Engagement Office, the Office of Con- servation Policy and Analysis, and the Conservation Research Office into the updated strategy. • Staff continue partnering with the Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscapes to promote conservation and working land uses in communities adjacent to military installations.
75 2024 Wildlife Diversity Program Annual Report
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