Commission Unveils Green Growth Toolbox

Guide to help counties and municipalities with development and conserves habitat

RALEIGH, N.C. (January 14, 2009) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is introducing a guide to help towns, cities and counties grow in a greener, more wildlife-friendly way.

The Green Growth Toolbox contains information on the state’s most important habitats, as well as community-planning methods and site-design techniques that can help conserve North Carolina’s priority species.

“Our goal is not to inhibit development,” said Jacquelyn Wallace, a biologist with the commission. “We want to show how we can build new homes, businesses and shopping centers while conserving habitats. We have put together a menu of conservation strategies that counties and towns can pick and choose from, and we can help communities choose the best options.”

More than 100,000 acres of North Carolina’s forests and fields are developed each year – an area the size of Winston-Salem and High Point combined.

But with the help of the Green Growth Toolbox, land-use decision makers can meet the challenges that rapid development presents to our state’s drinking water, air quality, habitats and infrastructure, while garnering economic and social dividends for their communities.

“The Green Growth Toolbox was developed to enable communities to conserve their most important biological resources while continuing to grow,” Wallace said.

To view the Green Growth Toolbox, click here. www.ncwildlife.org/GreenGrowth/index.htm

Development of the Green Growth Toolbox was funded by a State Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Carolina Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund, with contributions of time and expertise from dozens of organizations and agencies across the state.