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The Honorable Patrick L. McCrory

Governor of North Carolina

Members of the General Assembly

Raleigh, North Carolina

Dear Governor McCrory and Members of the General Assembly:

Sixty-six years ago, the North Carolina General Assembly authorized creation of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and since that time, this agency has been responsible for the management of those resources. I am pleased to present this Report on the Status of Wildlife Conservation.

Primary to good management of the state’s wildlife resources is the well-being of its wildlife animals—a value documented by man since the earliest days of human communication. As far back as 15,000 B.C., cave paintings have demonstrated our dependence on and our wonder of wildlife.

Much has changed since those pre-historic days but our appreciation of wildlife has not. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission provides ready access to hunting, fshing and wildlife viewing opportunities and to education for the public about wildlife, wild places and wildlife-related recreation. We manage wildlife populations through research and science, wise use and public input, and by regulation and enforcement. Because of these efforts and your support, hunting, fshing, and other forms of outdoor recreation are popular and sustainable. Our successes are many and each one precious.

Today, the agency is responding to many important challenges. The impacts of human population growth and urban development on wildlife species and their habitats can have disrupting and far-reaching consequences. We must recognize the demographic trends that show most North Carolinians live in urban areas, well isolated from daily contact with wild­ life and the outdoors. Future conservation successes must be built with the support and participation of this changing customer base. This can only be accomplished through understanding their needs and designing our programs and services to meet them.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is well prepared to meet these challenges by following the guidelines set out in our Strategic Plan. We are aligning our work to match our vision and in this Report, you will see brief alignment summaries from two areas of our organization that have already begun restructuring, Enforcement and Engineering/Lands Management. Strategic reviews and reorganization are taking place and will be ongoing, agency-wide.

We have also included written snapshots of our work and updates on our progress. A great many of our successes are refected in fnancial returns to the State of North Carolina’s economy and the amount of those returns is immense. Conservation pays off, both in fnancial and conscientious ways.

On behalf of the Board of Commissioners and our employees, thank you for your initial faith and continuing support. Our combined efforts on behalf of wildlife conservation add great value to the beautiful State of North Carolina. Truly, a value beyond measure.

Respectfully submitted,

Gordon Myers, Executive Director North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

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