Land for Tomorrow is a statewide effort to protect private farm and forestland and create new wildlife preserves. It is the program’s position that conservation provides major quality of life, health, and economic benefits and deserves to be top priority for funding, just like schools and roads.

“We need to do some things if we’re going to protect the things that are important to us,” said Jackson County Commissioner Tom Massie. Massie is the western field representative of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which recently awarded Sylva $3.5 million to preserve the Fisher Creek Watershed.

Massie encouraged commissioners to attend the General Assembly’s public meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 4 at A-B Tech. Public comment at those meetings will influence the recommendations made to the 2007 General Assembly to provide $1 billion in additional funding over the next five years.

For information about Land for Tomorrow visit www.landfortomorrow.org.

– By Sarah Kucharski