Governor Proclaims North Carolina Land and Water Fund Month 2021

WHEREAS, conservation of riparian buffers filters nutrients and sediments, and is a major factor in protecting aquatic life and drinking water supplies for humans; and clean water is vital to all life including North Carolina’s thousands of miles of stream banks, lake shores, and beaches; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina has rich and diverse ecological communities containing at least 143 species found exclusively in the state, and unique history, from early Native Americans to the earliest European colony through events that shaped the Nation; and 

WHEREAS, agriculture and silviculture contribute greatly to North Carolina’s economy and reflects its rural heritage, and farmers benefit from opportunities to protect wetlands while optimizing production; and

WHEREAS, Article 14, Section 5 of the North Carolina Constitution states “It shall be the policy of this State to conserve and protect its lands and waters for the benefit of all its citizenry…”; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly created the North Carolina Land and Water Fund (NCLWF) in 1996 to acquire land for riparian buffers for the purposes of providing environmental protection for surface waters, drinking water supplies, establishing a network of riparian greenways for environmental, educational, and recreational uses to acquire land that represents the ecological diversity of North Carolina, including natural features such as riverine, montane, coastal, geologic systems and other natural areas to ensure their preservation and conservation for recreational, scientific, educational, cultural, and aesthetic purposes; and

WHEREAS, over its 25 years, the NCLWF, partnering with State agencies, local governments, and land conservation organizations, has granted over $1.1 billion and procured $1.7 billion in additional funds to increase protection of water quality, conservation of ecological diversity, and protecting historic and cultural sites of North Carolina for the benefit of natural communities and North Carolina residents;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 2021, as “NORTH CAROLINA LAND AND WATER FUND MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.