When International Paper decided to dispose of some of its enormous landholdings in the Southeast, North Carolina came away with the lion's share. This didn't happen by accident -- our state had a plan in place to enable us to seize the opportunity.

While some other states scrambled to find funding sources, our experience showed. With the help of many people, including the governor and those at The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Resources Commission, an agreement was reached to protect over 76,000 acres of forests and wetlands along 300 miles of streams for the benefit and enjoyment of our generation and those to follow us.

Our grandchildren will have cleaner water and air and better protection from floods. There will be public access to these lands, and opportunities for hiking, fishing, hunting and canoeing.

The foundation for this success was laid in the 1980s and '90s. That's when the General Assembly created the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. It is a combination unique to North Carolina.

These programs make grants to nonprofit conservancies and local and state government agencies to protect critical natural resources. As a result, The Nature Conservancy is willing to advance over $80 million because of the state's proven record of environmental protection, the existence of these three trust funds and the commitment of the Wildlife Resources Commission. Trust Fund dollars have been used for projects in every North Carolina county. Every Trust Fund dollar generates another $1.14 from other public and private sources.

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North Carolina has become known as one of the best places in the country to live and work. In 25 years our population may exceed those of states such as Michigan and New Jersey. The pressures on our water, land, natural heritage and quality of life are enormous -- and we still have 2,600 miles of streams and rivers in North Carolina that don't meet clean water standards. We have a lot of cleaning up, restoring and protecting to do. Farmers struggle to hold on to their farms and their way of life as farm programs vanish and sprawl eats up farm and forest land. Scenic vistas so important to the natural character of our state have vanished in a blink of recent history's eye.

Unfortunately, the funding for the trusts is not keeping pace. For example, at the Clean Water Management Trust Fund last year we had five times more requests for grants than we had funding available. The other trust funds have similar challenges.

The list of projects to protect drinking water, streams and rivers, parks and gamelands, historic and scenic places is very long. Examples include protecting drinking water supplies in Falls and Jordan lakes and taking advantage of once-in-a lifetime opportunities to acquire unique lands such as these International Paper lands and Hickory Nut Gorge.

That's why a coalition of distinguished leaders with diverse interests has joined together in the Land for Tomorrow Coalition to ask the General Assembly this year to approve a bond referendum to provide the trusts with an additional $200 million a year for five years.

Those leaders include former Governors Holshouser, Hunt and Martin and members of more than 130 organizations and local governments. They include business owners, farmers, foresters, environmentalists and higher education representatives who share a belief in the importance of water and land conservation.

Thirty-five years ago, North Carolina voters approved Article XIV, Section V of the state constitution, which mandates that we must use "every appropriate way to preserve as part of the common heritage of this State its forests, wetlands, estuaries, beaches, historical sites, open lands and places of beauty."

We have been doing our best to live up to that constitutional challenge. But our best hasn't been good enough. We are barely halfway to a goal set by the General Assembly to conserve 1 million acres of land for protection of water and other resources by 2010.

Our own growth and development is pressuring us, and we must step up the pace to fulfill our obligations to future generations.

(John B. McMillan is a former chair of The Nature Conservancy's North Carolina chapter and is a current member of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund's Board of Trustees. For additional information, see landfortomorrow.org)

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