CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES
AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

New River State Park Addition A notable benchmark during the 90th anniversary of the North Carolina State Parks System was the dedication Sept. 15 of the 638-acre Bower/Darnell tract at the New River State Park, the largest tract ever added to the park. Acquisition of the tract was a partnership effort of the Bower/Darnell family, the National Committee for the New river and three of the state's conservation trust funds - Clean Water Management, Parks and Recreation, and Natural Heritage.

With this addition, New River State Park is now 1,701 acres. The tract includes both floodplain and steep wooded slopes, and its conservation will protect 1.6 miles of river shoreline as well as 13,000 linear feet of tributaries. The New River was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1976, punctuating a long struggle to keep the South Fork of the New River in a natural state in the face of Appalachian Power Co.’s plans to dam the river.

Lower Haw River State Natural Area A 40-acre tract on the west side of the Haw River near Bynum in Chatham County has been acquired as an addition to the Lower Haw River State Natural Area. Triangle Land Conservancy and the Haw River Assembly were partners with the state parks system in conserving the land. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund contributed $155,000 toward the purchase, and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund contributed $40,000.

The state natural area protects roughly four miles of shoreline on the river that empties into Jordan Lake. The river is home to at least two endangered species: a fish, the Cape Fear shiner, and Septima’s clubtail dragonfly. The Haw River in this area has been identified as a nationally significant aquatic habitat and the riparian lands are designated as a natural area of state significance. Both designations relate to providing habitat for rare native plants and animals.

The 40-acre tract lies just upstream of the U.S. 15-501 bridge on the Pittsboro side of the river. Pittsboro’s drinking water supply intake, which sits on a small part of the property adjacent to the Bynum dam, will benefit from the protective buffer this property now provides. The property features a mixed hardwood forest and includes 4,373 linear feet of Haw River frontage. And, it provides another 1,887 feet of stream buffer on Brooks Branch.

Natural Area Inventories The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program has now completed natural area inventories for 76 of North Carolina's 100 counties, our most recent being in Rutherford and McDowell counties. The Rutherford County inventory identifies 46 significant Natural Heritage areas. The inventory covers such places as Hickory Nut Gorge, the Broad River Valley and the South Mountains. The McDowell County inventory identifies 35 significant Natural Heritage areas. These sites include Hickory Nut Mountain, Linville Caverns, and the northern section of the South Mountains. The border shared by McDowell and Rutherford Counties represents the largest contiguous area of relatively undeveloped forests in the southwestern Piedmont of North Carolina. These lands are an essential landscape connector between the Blue Ridge escarpment to the west and the South Mountains to the east, providing habitat and movement corridors for numerous species.

Inventories are in progress in eight other counties, with 16 counties left to begin. Once the first round is done, these studies will need to be updated and enhanced, especially with the DENR transition to a landscape-scale conservation plan. Please visit our Web site at: http://www.ncnhp.org/Pages/countysummaries1.htm to download executive summaries of these inventories and others. Hard copies and electronic copies of the full-length reports are available from the Natural Heritage Program.

APNEP Governance Committees The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program held a combined meeting of its governance committees on Nov. 8 in Raleigh. The meeting marks the first time all APNEP committees have met together and fulfills executive order requirements for establishing them. The Policy Board, Science and Technical Advisory Committee, Citizens’ Advisory Committee and the newly appointed Management Advisory Committee participated in discussions about green infrastructure planning, landscape change in the Albemarle-Pamlico region, indicators of estuarine health, and the role of the NEP within the Environmental Protection Agency.

APNEP is part of the EPA’s National Estuary Program and is administered by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources in partnership with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. APNEP, a collaborative effort involving state, federal and local governments, as well as educational, scientific and nonprofit entities, also includes extensive citizen participation. Its mission is to identify, restore and protect the significant natural resources within the estuarine system of northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, using guidance and management actions contained in the program’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.

For more, see APNEP’s Web site, www.apnep.org, or contact Joan Giordano, outreach coordinator, at (252) 948-3825, or email her at joan.Giordano@ncmail.net.

Preservation Success Stories The Ecosystem Enhancement Program and its various public- and private-sector collaborators have helped to conserve thousands of acres of high-quality natural areas across the state. EEP’s preservation program results from a partnership among the N.C. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Dozens of successful preservation projects can be seen at http://www.nceep.net/services/success/stories.htm.

Forest Resources Acting Director to Retire Dan Smith, acting director with the N.C. Division of Forest Resources, has announced his retirement effective February 1, 2007. Smith served as deputy director from 2003 until May 2006, when he was named as the division’s acting director. Formerly a district forester in Hyde County, at the state level he has directed the division’s engineering services, administrative services and forest-protection section.

Smith leaves behind a 29-year career with the division to become the fire director with the National Association of State Foresters. This non-profit organization is involved in programs working toward sustainable forestry, conservation and protection of forest lands and associated resources. In his new capacity, Smith will work with directors of federal wildland fire agencies, as a representative in all 50 states.

DENR leadership has begun a comprehensive search for a new director for the Division of Forest Resources.

Dupont State Forest Increased by 118 Acres In March 2006, James and Rose Buckner sold 118 acres of land bordering DuPont State Forest to Carolina Mountain Land Trust. They generously sold the land to CMLC at less than half its value because they wanted to see the land conserved and added to the state forest.  The purchase was funded by Clean Water Management Trust Fund to protect the headwaters of Dismal Creek. In addition to being protected by a conservation easement, this land will also become part of DuPont State Forest, ensuring public access in perpetuity and preservation of clean waters within the Little River watershed.

CWMTF approved a $939,000 grant to help purchase the property in November 2004. DuPont State Forest is CWMTF's largest project to date, with a total of $16.6 million provide by CWMTF for acquisition.

Working Forest Summits Two working forest summits for forest landowners were held in Albemarle and Sanford during November. These meetings were modeled after six previous summits held in December 2005 and May 2006. At the summits, landowners learned about forest taxation, alternative sources of forest income, conservation agreements, wildlife habitat improvement and forest health. Keynote speakers spoke about the future of forests in North Carolina, and several landowners spoke about managing their properties.

Second Phase of Longleaf Pine Restoration Initiative In response to two centuries of declining Longleaf pine acreage in North Carolina and throughout its native range, the Division of Forest Resources made a commitment to undertake a Longleaf Pine Restoration Initiative in 1993. That first phase focused on artificial regeneration, mainly through increased tree planting, as the primary means to restore longleaf pine to suitable sites within its native range in the lower piedmont and coastal plains of North Carolina. Despite the efforts of DFR and numerous partners, the area of Longleaf pine in North Carolina declined 30 percent between 1990 and 2002. In 2006, a plan for the second phase of the initiative was completed. This phase takes a broader approach and includes nursery and tree improvement enhancements, research, outreach, management of established stands, ecosystem management practices, and management for products and services from working Longleaf pine forests.

Marine Fisheries Director to Retire Long-time fisheries director, Preston P. Pate Jr., has announced plans to retire effective Feb. 1, 2007. Pate has provided outstanding direction for nearly 10 years to the division’s in fisheries management, oyster restoration and protection of critical fisheries habitat.

One of the first tasks facing Pate when he assumed oversight of the division was implementing the 1997 Fisheries Reform Act, a far-reaching reform package that changed the way coastal and ocean fisheries are managed in North Carolina. Pate oversaw the restructuring and launch of a new commercial licensing system, development and implementation of a fisheries management plan process for each of the state’s significant species and design of a plan to protect coastal habitat, which is vitally important to the health of Tar Heel fisheries.

Pate has been an effective leader outside North Carolina’s boundaries as well. He has served on and currently chairs the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a compact of the 15 East Coast states that regulate near shore migratory fisheries. He also serves on both the Mid and South Atlantic Fisheries Management councils where he has helped develop management policy for fisheries in federal ocean waters that extend 200 miles from the shore.

DENR leadership has begun a comprehensive search for Pate’s replacement.

Oyster Shell Recycling The Oyster Shell Recycling Partnership, led by the DMF and supported by volunteers and conservation organizations, is working with restaurants, seafood dealers, community organizations and individuals to collect oyster shells. The shells are used to build oyster reefs in protected sanctuaries. Recycled oyster shells purchased from oyster shucking operations are the primary source for current oyster reef restoration efforts. However, these shells are in such high demand they have become a limiting factor for oyster restoration projects. The Oyster Shell Recycling Partnership is working to increase recycling by placing drop-off locations throughout eastern North Carolina. In 2007, the DMF will deploy 300,000 bushels of oyster reef material in sanctuaries and harvest areas. Visit http://www.ncdmf.net/shellfish/recycle1.htm to learn more about the program and view collection locations.

Conservation Awareness Day Scheduled North Carolina ’s fourth annual Conservation Awareness Day, an outreach event sponsored by the N.C. Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, is planned for March 21, 2007. Traditionally held on Halifax Mall across from the General Assembly building, Conservation Awareness Day helps familiarize lawmakers with the work and outreach of the state’s 96 soil and water conservation districts. Activities planned for the day include exhibits, musical entertainment and a fish fry.

For more information on Conservation Awareness Day, contact Bridget Munger, the public information officer with the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation, at (919) 715-6680.

Conservation Partnership Holds Business Meetings For the first time ever, representatives from the North Carolina Conservation Partnership held strategic business meetings around the state as part of an effort to improve communications between member groups. The partnership includes the Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Foundation for Soil and Water, N.C. Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, District Employees Association and the state’s 96 conservation districts.

The three October meetings offered an opportunity for conservation partners to gather in a business setting and discuss issues of mutual concern. Topics discussed included emerging challenges for districts, the 2007 Farm Bill, budgets, cost reduction strategies, district technical job approval authority, technological advancements, working lands conservation and updates on programs such as Agriculture Cost Share, Conservation Reserve Enhancement and Community Conservation. The groups were also briefed on the recent DENR reorganization, which will strengthen natural resource and working lands initiatives.

North Carolina Birding Trail The site nomination and selection process for the Coastal Plain component of the North Carolina Birding Trail has been completed. A list of approved Coastal Plain sites is available at http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/Documents/approved_sites_coast.pdf

The Piedmont site nomination process opened Oct. 1, 2006 and closes April 1, 2007. The Piedmont region includes sites east of Interstate 77 and west of Interstate 95. A site nomination committee reviews each site individually and makes a recommendation based on the following criteria: bird watching opportunities, ecological significance, site sustainability, access and parking and additional on-site opportunities. To nominate a Piedmont site for the birding trail, download the form at http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/site_nominations.asp.