Landing a better future, now

CHAPEL HILL -- There's an old saying that January is the best time to buy a straw hat. Members of the General Assembly should take that advice to heart. They must find a way to meet Land for Tomorrow's request for $174 million in additional funding for land and water conservation, as well as farmland preservation. Local communities need this state money to buy land while prices for real estate are the lowest in years and interest rates are declining as well.

Purchasing land now will save North Carolina millions of dollars in the long run. It will also ensure that we have the high quality of life and natural beauty that "knowledge workers" are seeking. That's important because where those knowledge workers go, business and jobs follow.

It's true that our top-of-the-line universities will keep churning out smart workers. But the question is: Will North Carolina have what it takes to keep them here and to attract some of their colleagues from other states?

We are one of the most rapidly developing states, but our economic security depends upon the protection of our state's unique natural resources. Because we are losing more than 100,000 acres of family farms, forests and other open spaces every year, it's getting more difficult to identify large tracts of land with unsullied mountain views or unspoiled waterfront.

The good news for taxpayers is that there is an existing and highly effective state land conservation system with an excellent track record for using state appropriations in a cost-effective way.

The legislature created these conservation trust funds to acquire land that protects our drinking water and preserves our most special natural places for wildlife, parks and recreation areas. Then, over the last 20 years, privately supported, nonprofit conservation organizations have sprung up across the state. These grass-roots organizations often act as intermediaries between government agencies and landowners. My own company took advantage of that public-private partnership to preserve a tract of land in the heart of the Triangle that certainly would have otherwise ended up on development drawing boards.

The combination works so well that it has elevated public awareness of these needs. That's reflected in the overwhelming passage of local open space bonds across the state. It's also reflected in the fact that requests for funds to conserve land have far outpaced the money available from the state.

Last year, the General Assembly appropriated some additional funds for land conservation, and we are grateful for that support. Most of that money, however, has already been spent on critical projects and all of it will be committed by July 1. In the past year, these funds have saved land right before it was to be developed. A recent example is the land added to Haw River State Park in Guilford and Rockingham counties -- land that had been slated for a golf course subdivision until local citizens and elected officials got organized and fought the plans.

The point is that there are no second chances in the land conservation business. When you have everyone nipping at your heels, it can be hard to look over the horizon, but the smart money does.

The General Assembly has a history of looking ahead when it comes to land conservation. Its members have made some courageous decisions. But what they've done in the past is no longer enough for the future. We need visionary leadership this session to make a legacy investment in our state's special natural character. It may not be possible when our economy returns to breakneck speed.

I hope that, as temperatures are heating up, our lawmakers will realize it's the smart time to buy a parka.

(D.R. Bryan is president of Bryan Properties, Inc. and a member of the board of trustees of The Nature Conservancy's North Carolina chapter.)