| North Carolina is a diverse land with natural and cultural aesthetic appeal for residents and visitors alike. It is also a land experiencing competition for its natural resources and for the control of land and water. This competition is particularly evident in the development of fragile mountain and coastal environments. Conflicts arise over the use of wetlands, property rights, water supplies, air quality and waste disposal.
North Carolina's population increases by 200,000 annually, the equivalent of adding another Greensboro every 12 months. There will be as many as 7.4 million people living in North Carolina by the year 2000. Growing seasonal populations produced a 79% increase in tourism dollars spent here from 1983 to 1993. North Carolina's increasing residential and visiting populations mean more demand for natural resources and increased pressure on the natural environment due to land development, the growing production of waste and the recreational use of natural areas.
North Carolina's natural resources are under stress and could be lost to us in the absence of a widespread awareness of their existence, their significance and their value. Government officials, business leaders and private citizens must better understand the complexity of the natural ecosystems that support our quality of life and make this state an appealing place to live, work and visit.
These resources are not isolated from each other or from our people; each element is part of the ecosystem, interrelated and interconnected. When one part of the system is affected, other parts feel the impact. Sound development decisions require an understanding of these interconnections as well as of the life-support roles played by our natural resources.
Some highlights of North Carolina's natural heritage illustrate the importance of providing environmental education and instilling a strong sense of stewardship.
The accident of history that placed the boundaries of North Carolina along the Southern Appalachians and between the 30- and 40- degree parallels of latitude north of the equator created one of the most diverse environments of the 50 states. Climate and geology combine to create varied habitats for animal and plant life, ranging from the boreal conditions of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River to the subtropical conditions of Bald Head Island.1
Tourism brings $60 million to western North Carolina's Swain County due in part to the attraction of the Great Smoky Mountains and the exciting Nantahala River. According to the U. S. Forest Service the white water season on the Nantahala generated $42 million in 1993. However, these resources show signs of stress from overuse. As a result, no more than 6,950 rafters are allowed on the river per day. Tourists and residents driving and living in the area also contribute to the air pollution that injures 90 or more species of plants in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and degrades the quality of scenic mountain vistas across the region.2
North Carolina's soils are among the most diverse in the nation, ranging from day-old Outer Banks sands, young mountain soils and high organic Tidewater Blacklands, to the oldest, high clay soils of the Piedmont. These diverse soils, coupled with subtropical to subarctic climate ranges, allow this state to yield almost any agricultural commodity imaginable. Better understanding and management of the soil's physical, chemical and biological properties will ensure the state's agricultural economic viability while protecting surface and underground water resources.3
Within the 130,000 acres of our state parks system is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi, the largest sand dune on the East Coast and the second oldest river in the world. These natural, unique and compelling attractions bring a growing number of visitors and a corresponding demand for services. This growth requires careful management of visitors and resources in existing parks, and may require development of new parks to relieve stress in overcrowded areas.4
North Carolina ranks third in the nation with 2.4 million acres of estuarine waters. They comprise one of the most productive estuarine systems in the country --- the nursery area for fish species contributing to our state's billion dollar fishing industry. Studies indicate excess nutrient loadings from a myriad of sources increase algal levels, cause fish kills, odors, habitat loss and generally diminish water quality.5
The state has unparalleled aquatic biodiversity --- in our mountain stream beds, riverine wetlands, piedmont lakes and ponds, coastal plain pocosins and salt mashes and the confluence of the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current off Cape Hatteras. Effective management of the pressures to drain wetlands, degrade surface and underground waters and alter natural aquatic habitats requires a thorough understanding of the significance of these resources to people, wildlife and our life-supporting ecosystem.6
North Carolina has more kinds of hardwood trees than any other state in the nation. Yet public forests can no longer meet demands for timber and other uses, requiring the state to turn to privately owned forests for timber, wildlife habitat and recreation.7
North Carolina has more species of salamanders than any place in the country, but the numbers of these fascinating creatures decline year by year. Historical records indicate a 75% reduction in the range of one of the species, the eastern tiger salamander. North Carolina is also home to the world's tiniest tarantula, which is in danger of becoming extinct within five years. Even the smallest living creatures --- like canaries in a mine --- indicate the health of our ecosystem.8
North Carolina is the northern-most state where sea turtles nest in significant numbers, and the cooler temperatures here produce proportionately more male sea turtles than anywhere else in the nation. Loss of these nesting areas threatens the continued existence of sea turtles and their male offspring.9
The cause and effect relationship between human behavior and the environment and the economics of that relationship must be well understood by decisionmakers - including individuals, business, industry, government, elected officials - if we are to instill a conservation ethic and a sense of stewardship into the choices facing the state. Such stewardship of our land, water, air and biological resources is required for us to continue to enjoy the quality of life we now have and to ensure future improvements.
Environmental policy is often viewed as regulatory in nature. The coercive powers of the state are limited, and no regulatory initiative that presses these limits can long survive. Environmental quality ultimately depends upon the understanding and support of individual and corporate citizens who come to embrace standards and practices that discourage pollution while they prize high quality air, water and soil. This relationship between knowledge of the environment and support for its protection form a basis of public policy development. Both the Governor's Coastal Futures Committee and the Pollution Prevention Advisory Council have identified environmental education as a positive and effective approach to better stewardship of the environment. While the need for education to improve our understanding of ecology and environment is accepted as important, the prospect of such an endeavor brings many different images to the minds of citizens.
FOOTNOTES
1 Museum of Natural Sciences, DEHNR
2 US Forest Service
3 Division of Soil & Water, DEHNR
4 Division of Parks and Recreation, DEHNR
5 Albemarle Pamlico Estuarine Study, DEHNR
6 North Carolina Aquariums, DEHNR
7 Division of Forest Resources, DEHNR
8 Museum of Natural Sciences, DEHNR
9 Wildlife Resources Commission
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