Land for Tomorrow needed
While legislators in the state House and Senate have been dickering over the budget this month, I’ve become increasingly worried that they’re taking their eyes off the future.
This state is booming, adding new people and businesses faster than ever and we’ve all seen evidence of runaway development. Where will it lead? Â
I grew up in a boom state. As kids we played in construction sites under brown skies as farms and orchards fell. Most of my classrooms were temporary trailers. Now, when I visit my parents in California, I return to a land choked by concrete and asphalt, a relentless grid of houses and mini malls without end. I avoid visiting the county where I grew up.
Meanwhile, legislators in this state are not moving on a bond that will preserve open space, increase investments in schools, roads, clean water and affordable housing. The Partnership for North Carolina’s Future is the result of many disparate groups, from conservationists to asphalt interests, coming together with a unified plan. If they can all agree, why can’t the legislators agree to let us vote on it?
I believe that open land is one of our best hopes to ameliorate the damage of global warning. And careful planning and investment is the only way to avoid the potential ravages of huge population booms.
I just want to see the Land and Water Conservation bond on the ballot, allowing all of us to vote on the state we want in the future.
Emily Adams
Carrboro, NC