Why Protect Open Space?

An open space is an area of land that is not developed. Open space includes working landscapes, such as farms and forest lands, as well as parks, greenways, trails, urban greenspaces, historic areas, natural areas, scenic overlooks and wetlands.

9 IMPORTANT REASONS TO PROTECT OPEN SPACE

Protecting open space helps maintain our quality of life.

• The land we protect as undeveloped, open space affects our everyday life. Parks offer a place to rest, play and learn. Working farms and forests provide essential agricultural products. Historic homesteads and battlefields allow us to remember our past and help us connect with each other across the generations. Open space that surrounds waterways helps keep our drinking water clean and protects us from floods. Wildlife areas provide habitat for our non-human neighbors and offer endless opportunities to learn and explore. Forested areas clean the air we breathe. Wide, open landscapes help us feel free and refreshed.
• All the benefits of these areas combine to determine our quality of life, and a high quality of life is important to current residents of North Carolina and the corporations and industries that choose to bring their business operations here.

Many critical open spaces will be developed if we don't protect them.

• By 2030, North Carolina’s population is expected to increase 50 percent to more than 12 million. To accommodate this growth, we will need to develop areas that are forests and farms today, but we must also set aside and protect critical open spaces. Currently, North Carolina leads the United States in lost farm and forest lands - more than 1 million acres in 10 years. At least 383 acres per day are converted to new roads, shopping malls and housing developments.
• As we develop land, the open space that was once there is permanently converted to buildings and highways. While we do not want to stop growth and development, we do want to make sure that growth helps us rather than hurts us. To do this, we need to protect a network of essential open spaces while allowing other areas to be developed.

Open space protects natural areas and wildlife habitat.

• North Carolina has exceptional ecological diversity. Our state is home to approximately 1,200 rare and endangered plants and animals. However, two-thirds of the identified 1,400 natural heritage areas in North Carolina that are home to many of our rare and endangered wildlife are not permanently protected. Critical wildlife habitats must be permanently protected if we wish to continue to enjoy a thriving and diverse wildlife population in North Carolina.
• In addition, the water quality of North Carolina needs to be protected for our aquatic animals and plants and human uses. Wetlands help protect water quality, but already 34 percent of our state's coastal wetlands have been altered so that they no longer fulfill this function.

Open space provides us places to play, exercise, relax and learn.

• North Carolina has hundreds of local, state and national parks that provide exciting and relaxing outdoor opportunities from rock climbing to fishing, from nature walks to organized sports. Parks often host our music and cultural festivals, family reunions and civic outings. As we add more than four million people to our state, we also need to add more park space to accommodate the growing population.

Open space saves tax money.

• Studies across the country consistently show that the tax expenditure/income generation relationship of open space is more favorable than for residential development. Residential development often costs more in services than it provides in tax base. Open space makes little, if any, demand on municipal services such as school systems, police and fire departments, and water and septic/sewer services.
• In addition, studies by the U.S. Department of Commerce show that open spaces — forests, wetlands and farmlands — save local tax money and protect drinking water, contrary to a long-standing misconception that undeveloped land is not economically productive.

Open space supports our economic development.

• Numerous studies show that homes close to parks and trails often have a higher property value than similar homes only a few blocks away because access to open space improves quality of life. Businesses are attracted to areas that have open space and a high quality of life.

Open space protects us from floods.

• Maintaining undeveloped buffers around rivers, lakes and other bodies of water is an essential step in preventing loss of property and life when major floods occur. Not only do these open spaces keep development at a safe distance from the swelling waters, but open spaces, especially wetlands, absorb water and reduce the height of floods.

Open space contributes to the protection of our agricultural industry.

• Since 2003, North Carolina has lost more than 6,000 farms and more than 300,000 acres of farmland to conversion. This is equivalent in size to losing a county every four years.
• Farmlands provide more than the agricultural products that are the foundation for this state’s $68 billion dollar agri-business industry.
• Farmlands also make up an integral part of our open space, wildlife habitats, ground water recharge areas and recreational areas. These environmental services are an essential part of our quality of life as citizens of North Carolina, and we must work to protect the immeasurable benefits of properly maintained farmland.

Open space helps us stay healthy.

• Recent reports show that sprawling growth is bad for human health because of its harmful impacts to air and water quality. Access to local open spaces is beneficial to physical and emotional health. Using open spaces for exercise can make a dramatic improvement in our individual and collective physical health.