N.C. Environmental Education Centers: Economic Development Engines?

Environmental education mentioned in a real estate blog? It's not as unusual as it sounds.

This recent post on a Charlotte area real estate Web site touts four N.C. Environmental Education Centers as incentives for locating in the Huntersville area! Why? Science and nature centers, state parks, camps and other outdoor recreation and education venues have been shown to support local and state economies. The Office of Environmental Education will continue to research this topic. Readers are encouraged to send any relevant research or data to Marty.Wiggins@ncdenr.gov.

Garner's White Deer Park Combines History, Conservation and Sustainability

This slideshow from the Garner Citizen shows the true community efforts that went into the development of the Town of Garner's White Deer Park. This passive nature park is already offering recreational opportunities to the citizens and will begin environmental education programs soon (update: Programs have started!). It also reveals the dedication to sustainable design and how it will be used to educate visitors.

N.C. State Parks Boomed with Business in 2009

This blog post from the Charlotte Observer notes the record attendence at N.C. State Parks in 2009. 2009 visits numbered 14.16 million, a jump of 13 percent over 2008. The direct economic impacts of parks, greenways and open space are noted in several reseach studies.


"The Daily Views" quotes Lewis Ledford, state parks director: “Beyond the quality recreation experiences, health benefits and exposure to the natural world, state parks also offer economic benefits to the local communities where they’re located. A 2008 economic study revealed the state parks system has an annual economic impact of more than $400 million, much of it in direct contributions to local tourism economies.”

Click on the link above to see the full economic study--it's worth a read.