Voters Say Yes to Conservation!
There was great news for local land conservation on Election Day this year, when voters in both Henderson and Buncombe County resoundingly voted yes on ballot questions about funding for local land conservation. Voters in Henderson County passed the measure by 59.5% while voters in Buncombe County passed it by 64%.
Conserving Carolina played a leading role in the campaign for the bond in Henderson County and strongly supported the bond in both counties.
Buncombe County passed its first Open Space Bond in 2022, which provided $30 million for land conservation. This funding has made it possible to protect 2,600 acres so far, including landmark projects such as the future park at Deaverview Mountain, land at Warren Wilson College, and Lake Eden Preserve.
The Buncombe County Open Space Bond also helped Conserving Carolina buy the 226-acre Fairview Community Forest and it paid for the trail expansion that is currently underway, with plans for a total of 11 miles of trails.
This year, in Buncombe County we helped build on this success, with an additional $30 million in local funding. We also worked to bring this successful model to Henderson County to achieve a key local goal—protecting farmland and scenic landscapes.
Between 2017 and 2022, Henderson County lost nearly 20% of our working farms and forests! Local citizens have repeatedly said that protecting our rural landscapes is a priority. In this election, they backed that up by voting for $25 million in local funding for conservation.
This funding comes at a manageable cost to taxpayers—$38 per year for the median household, or just over $3 per month. And these local funds can be used as a match for outside grants, multiplying our local investment.
The funding will provide an incentive for farmers and other landowners who want to protect their land through voluntary land conservation.
In Buncombe County, voters also approved a bond for affordable housing by 58%. Supporters campaigned for the Open Space Bond and Affordable Housing Bond together, recognizing that we need to protect natural resources at the same time as we provide places for people to live.
Our executive director, Kieran Roe, says, “The success of these open space bonds creates truly exciting opportunities for land conservation in our region. We look forward to working with our local governments to protect the places that make our communities so special.”
