released by NC Wildlife Resources Commission gives a comprehensive look at North Carolina’s habitat and species and the actions needed to protect them, including a detailed list of birds and their conservation needs. 
The plan is updated every ten years and will play a foundational role in guiding the state’s conservation efforts over the next decade. Once the plan is approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it also opens access to federal funding for conservation work.
This new draft plan is thorough and science-based, and includes growing and emerging threats to wildlife that overlap with 91°µÍø’s priorities for birds and our Flight Plan milestones, from urbanization and farmland loss to climate change. 91°µÍø staff were involved in the assessment process for determining final species inclusion in the plan. 
Specifically, we are supportive of the following highlights: 
Detailed list of birds and their specific needs, highlighting opportunities for agencies and partners to take action  
Highlights the growing threat that urbanization poses to many species  
Acknowledges the loss of functional agricultural land and the species that depend on those habitats 
Stays the course on climate change, using the latest data to highlight impacts and much-needed mitigation actions
Includes plant species for the first time 
Highlights the importance of land conservation and additional funding 
All told, the plan is a major achievement and we look forward to working with the agency and partners to put its recommendations into action.
