Advocating for birds and the places they need is the core of Wake Audubon.
Our efforts span from local community engagement to state-level advocacy, aiming to safeguard the natural habitats that are essential to our region’s ecological health. These vital resources include waterways, green spaces, forests, and urban landscapes that support a rich variety of wildlife.
Each year, Wake Audubon members join Audubon North Carolina’s Advocacy Day where to meet with their lawmakers at the North Carolina General Assembly. In meetings throughout the day, advocates make connections with their lawmakers and reinforce just how many of their local constituents care about birds and conservation.
In 2024, Audubon North Carolina’s policy priorities include:
- Protecting family land: The heirs property bill, known formally as the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act/Senate Bill 548, would give family landowners more due process to hold on to their land in the face of forced sales and help ensure they are eligible for federal conservation funding. This is especially important in rural areas that are dealing with development pressures from North Carolina’s rapid growth. The bill passed the house in 2023 and needs to pass the Senate this year to become law.
- Conservation Trust Funds: North Carolina’s conservation trust funds are essential for maintaining our states clean air, water, and habitat. Due to their importance for birds and people, we are asking that the Land and Water Fund and Parks and Recreation Trust Fund each be increased to $45 million in recurring funding, and that the Ag Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund be increased to $15 million.
- Wetlands: Last year, wetlands received a one-two-punch with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that changed the definition of a protected wetland under the Clean Water Act and a NC General Assembly bill that required the state to match the federal definition, thus wiping away stronger state statutes that had been on the books. As a result, millions of acres of wetlands in North Carolina lost protections. Given the importance of wetlands to birds and people, we are advocating for these protections to be restored in the future.
Want to get more involved in our advocacy efforts? Reach out to us at audubonwake[at]gmail.com and ask to connect with Anne Wilkinson our Advocacy Committee Chair!
