Saving forests, meadows and wetlands in Guilford County

The photos above are of an American Toad and a Great Blue Heron shoring up its nest for the spring. Both taken last week on the 250 acre Richardon Tract.

The important work of the Guilford County Open Space Committee was reported on today in a fine article by Taft Wireback in the N&R.

Be sure to note the interactive map of the open space sites.

Not as well organized on the N&R web site is the following important info:

WHAT IS OPEN SPACE? “Land in a predominantly undeveloped condition including forests, wetlands, stream corridors, managed meadows and agricultural areas. Land protected by Guilford County as open space is protected in perpetuity and is suitable for native wildlife and plant habitat; water quality protection; natural resource preservation; passive recreation; trails for non-motorized vehicles; ecologically sustainable agriculture; and scientific or educational uses.” — Adopted by Guilford Open Space Committee, July 2007

BENEFITS OF OPEN SPACE: Protecting water quality, Improving air quality, Reducing flood damage, Enhancing economic development, Creating scenic landscape, Saving habitat for plants and wildlife, Restoring water supplies, both below ground and lakes, streams or rivers, Promoting low-impact recreation, Sustaining local farms and agriculture, Connecting people with nature, Preserving a natural legacy for generations to come.

DID YOU KNOW?
North Carolina once had an abundant agrarian landscape, but its farms are vanishing. The state lost 5,500 farms from 2003 through 2006 totaling 300,000 acres, the size of Cleveland County.

The American Water Works Association says that for every 10 percent increase in acres of forest, a community’s cost for water purification drops 20 percent.

Federal regulators estimate it’s at least 20 times more costly to treat contaminated water than to protect from pollution the watershed that supplies it.

North Carolina has 3,300 miles of streams so polluted they do not meet basic clean water standards.

In studying 14 of North Carolina’s 33 state parks, researchers at N.C. State estimated those 14 parks pump more than $195 million a year into the economy.

Living close to a park is good for home values. Houses close to an urban park gain $800 to $2,000 in value. Living near a larger, more rural park adds as much as $11,300.

Guilford County open-space advocates hope to set aside 100 acres of protected open space for every 1,000 residents. Currently, the county has about half that much.

OPEN SPACE ACROSS N.C.
An increasing number of North Carolina cities and counties are putting aside money for open space and park land. Since 2004, 13 cities and counties have passed 16 open-space referendums with a total value of $335.6 million.

GUILFORD'S $38 MILLION
North Carolina has four trust funds that help counties, cities and nonprofit groups preserve open space for the public. Since 1997, those programs have pumped $37.6 million into Guilford County, most of it within the last year.

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund has provided $33.5 million, about $26 million earmarked for the new Haw River State Park. Other grants from this trust went to smaller city and county parks run by the county, Greensboro, High Point, Gibsonville, Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and Summerfield.

The Clean Water Management Trust Fund is aimed at helping state and local government prevent water pollution, often by buying land in watershed areas. It has given $2.6 million to Guilford County, Greensboro, the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority and the nonprofit Haw River Assembly for such purchases across the county.

The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund buys conservation easements, where farm families sell development rights for anything other than farming. It provided $508,000 to the nonprofit, Greensboro-based Piedmont Land Conservancy last year for such purposes.

The Natural Heritage Trust Fund enables state agencies to buy important natural areas. It awarded $1 million last year to Haw River State Park for riverfront property near the park’s environmental education center. Sources: Land for Tomorrow, The Trust for Public Land, Guilford County Open Space Committee