Protecting our State’s Land Resources
Michelle Lovejoy, Executive Director, NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation
As one of the fastest growing states, North Carolina is experiencing high rates of land transition. Growth puts pressure on open space statewide. How do decisions regarding land conservation get made? Is all land created equally? What resources inform how priorities are determined? Michelle Lovejoy is the Executive Director for the NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation. She administers a number of grant funded programs designed to protect the state’s land and water resources. Among them is the Market Based Conservation Initiative, part of NC Sentinel Landscapes, a $3 million pilot initiative engaging 17 Soil & Water Conservation Districts to deliver the program to over 4,000 landowners. Using Sentinel Landscapes as the example, Michelle will demonstrate how North Carolina works to preserve lands that provide vital natural and economic resources that not only protect our state’s environment, but which also facilitate agriculture, the state’s No. 1 industry. She’s got nearly 15 years of experience working in Soil and Water Conservation in multiple regions. Michelle was educated as an undergraduate at Appalachian State University and went to graduate school at Radford University, Radford VA where she earned a Master’s.