North Carolina § 143-240 - Creation of Wildlife Resources Commission; districts; qualifications of members.

§ 143-240. Creation of Wildlife Resources Commission; districts; qualifications of members.

There is hereby created the Wildlife Resources Commission of the Department of Environmental Quality which shall consist of 19 citizens of North Carolina who shall be appointed as is provided in G.S. 143-241. There are established the following geographical wildlife districts: Each member of the Commission shall be an experienced hunter, fisherman, farmer, or biologist, who shall be generally informed on wildlife conservation and restoration problems. Members of the Commission shall receive per diem and necessary travel and subsistence expenses in accordance with the provisions of G.S. 138-5 or G.S. 138-6 as the case may be, which shall be paid from fees collected by the Wildlife Resources Commission. First district to be composed of the following counties: Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, Washington. Second district to be composed of the following counties: Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt. Third district to be composed of the following counties: Edgecombe, Franklin, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Northampton, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, Wilson. Fourth district to be composed of the following counties: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland. Fifth district to be composed of the following counties: Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Granville, Guilford, Lee, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham. Sixth district to be composed of the following counties: Anson, Cabarrus, Davidson, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Rowan, Stanly, Union. Seventh district to be composed of the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin. Eighth district to be composed of the following counties: Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Yancey. Ninth district to be composed of the following counties: Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Polk, Swain, Transylvania. History (1947, c. 263, s. 4; 1961, c. 737, s. 11/2; 1965, c. 859, s. 2; 1971, c. 285; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; c. 906, s. 1; 1981 (Reg. Sess., 1982), c. 1191, s. 79; 1989, c. 68, s. 1; c. 727, s. 218(112); 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 684, s. 13; 1997-443, s. 11A.119(a); 2001-486, s. 2.11(a); 2015-241, s. 14.30(u).) Habitat Optimization Plan. - Session Laws 2020-78, s. 9.3, provides: "The Wildlife Resources Commission and the North Carolina Forest Service shall coordinate with the United States Forest Service to formulate a plan to optimize habitats to reverse declines in wildlife populations on State lands managed by the North Carolina Forest Service and federal lands in the State managed by the United States Forest Service. The Commission and the North Carolina Forest Service shall report regarding this plan to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources no later than July 1, 2021.” Editor's Note. - Session Laws 1989 c. 68, which amended this section, in s. 4 provided: "This act shall not be construed to obligate the General Assembly to make any appropriation to implement the provisions of this act." Session Laws 2020-78, s. 22.1, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium.” Session Laws 2020-78, s. 22.3, is a severability clause. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2015-241, s. 14.30(u), effective July 1, 2015, substituted "Department of Environmental Quality" for "Department of Environment and Natural Resources" in subsection (a).