Under contract with the One North Carolina Naturally program http://www.onencnaturally.com, Land-of-Sky Regional Council staff met with county planners, environmentalists, land trust staff, mappers and state officials to create an inventory of open space - Open Space Maps.    

The Council also developed a conceptual design for a regional open space plan that addresses local conservation needs and opportunities.  That plan will include federal, state and local government open space opportunities as well as lands that could be managed by land trusts, other conservation organizations and private entities.   

Regional open space planning is part of the Council’s larger “green infrastructure” collaboration with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of Regional Councils.  This effort includes landcare, mountain ridge protection, non-native invasive species, agricultural land preservation, forest gateway communities, and sustainable forest management.