NC Land and Wildlife Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 687

Short Title: NC Land and Wildlife Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Smith (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S687-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO INVEST IN INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH 2
AND HABITATS OF THE STATE'S WILDLIFE POPULATIONS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Purpose and Findings. – The purpose of this act is as follows: 5
(1) To provide additional funding and awareness of Chronic Wasting Disease in 6
the State's deer population. 7
(2) To enhance wildlife conservation programs, especially northern bobwhite 8
quail habitat restoration and red wolf recovery initiatives. 9
(3) To expand hunting and fishing accessibility through modernized licensing 10
structures and public-private partnerships. 11
(4) To protect rural economies and private landowner rights while supporting 12
voluntary conservation efforts. 13
SECTION 2. CWD Monitoring and Incentives. – The sum of five million dollars 14
($5,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year is appropriated from the 15
General Fund to the Wildlife Resources Commission. The Commiss ion will use these funds to 16
expand statewide monitoring, reporting, and mitigation efforts for Chronic Wasting Disease 17
(CWD), including the creation of an incentive program to provide cash bounties to any person 18
reporting a confirmed positive CWD case, a r educed-price hunting license to hunters 19
participating in CWD tracking programs, and grants for research into CWD transmission and 20
mitigation to universities and nonprofit wildlife research entities. 21
SECTION 3. Quail Conservation and Habitat Restoration. – The sum of five million 22
dollars ($5,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is appropriated from the 23
General Fund to the Wildlife Resources Commission. The Commission will use these funds to 24
establish a statewide habitat restoration i nitiative for northern bobwhite quail, to include the 25
following programs: 26
(1) A cost-share grant program to provide matching grants of up to five thousand 27
dollars ($5,000) to landowners who agree to participate in northern bobwhite 28
quail habitat restoration activities on their lands. 29
(2) A quail translocation program in areas of the State identified by the 30
Commission for reintroduction of northern bobwhite quail. 31
(3) A study regarding sustainable quail hunting regulations by the Commission. 32
The Commission s hall provide a report on this study, including any 33
recommendations for funding needs and legislative changes, to the chairs of 34
the House Committee on Wildlife Resources and the chairs of the Senate 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 687-First Edition
Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment no later than December 1
1, 2026. 2
SECTION 4.(a) Red Wolf Conservation and Rural Landowner Support. – The sum 3
of five million dollars ($5,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025 -2026 fiscal year is 4
appropriated from the General Fund to the Wildlife Resources Com mission. The Commission 5
will use these funds to establish the following initiatives for red wolf conservation and rural 6
landowner support: 7
(1) A cost-share grant program to provide matching grants of up to ten thousand 8
dollars ($10,000) to landowners who agree to provide protected habitat for red 9
wolf populations on their land. 10
(2) Grants to local governments and local tourism development organizations in 11
rural areas of the State with nearby red wolf populations to promote and 12
establish red wolf tourism programs and activities. 13
The Commission shall provide a report on its implementation of this section, 14
including any recommendations for funding needs and legislative changes to accommodate 15
making these initiatives permanent, to the chairs of the House Committee on Wildlife Resources 16
and the chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment no later than 17
December 1, 2027. 18
SECTION 4.(b) Red Wolf Wildlife Crossings. – The Department of Transportation 19
will utilize the grant received from the Federal Highway Administration's Wildlife Crossings 20
Pilot Program to install wildlife crossings for red wolves on U.S. Highway 64 in and adjacent to 21
the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. 22
SECTION 5.(a) WRC Fee Adjustments. – The Wildlife Resources Commission 23
shall adopt rules to revise its fees and fee payment options for lifetime hunting and fishing 24
licenses in a revenue neutral manner as set forth in this section: 25
(1) Create the following age-based categories: infants (0-2 years), young children 26
(3-6 years), youth (7 -12 years), teenagers (13 -17 years), young adults (age 27
18-25 years), adults (26 -39 years), middle -aged adults (40 -59 years), and 28
seniors (60 years and over), with the middle -aged adult category charged the 29
maximum fee, seniors receiving a fifty percent (50%) discount on the 30
maximum fee, and younger age groups charged less than older age groups. 31
(2) Offer a multi -generational license discount to families purchasing three or 32
more lifetime licenses at the same time. 33
(3) Offer a monthly inst allment payment option for licenses that exceed one 34
thousand dollars ($1,000) in cost. 35
SECTION 5.(b) Other Funding Sources. – The Commission shall seek additional 36
sources of funds from non -State sources for the initiatives funded by this act, including gr ants 37
from federal and nonprofit wildlife conservation organizations. 38
SECTION 5.(c) Report. – The Wildlife Resources Commission shall report on its 39
implementation of this section as a part of the annual report required by G.S. 143-250. 40
SECTION 6. Effective Date. – This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 41