CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Division of Parks and Recreation

Government Conservation Partner of the Year Award - The Conservation Trust of North Carolina, representing the state’s 24 land trusts, presented Director Lewis Ledford and the Division of Parks and Recreation with the 2005 Government Conservation Partner of the Year Award. The award honors the agency’s work in aggressively planning for the state’s future recreation needs by strategically identifying and vigorously pursuing new state parks where there are still available natural lands. The division moved quickly and decisively in early 2005 to save a tract known as “World’s Edge” for a new state park in the Hickory Nut Gorge area of Rutherford County. “World’s Edge,” with its stunning scenic vistas and rare geologic and natural communities, is the 1,568-acre centerpiece of the planned park authorized in 2005 by the General Assembly.

New State Natural Areas - Two rare and highly sensitive types of ecosystems were brought under the protection of the state parks system as state natural areas through House Bill 2127 approved by the N.C. General Assembly this summer. The State Parks Act directs the system to include representative examples of North Carolina’s archaeological, geological, biological, scenic and recreational resources. As a practical matter, such sensitive ecosystems are usually added to the system as state natural areas, which differ from state parks in management priorities. Some recreation uses are not permitted in particularly sensitive natural areas, and conservation is given high priority.

1 . The Mountain Bog State Natural Area in Avery County - Mountain bogs are wetlands that support a variety of rare and unique species, but which are highly vulnerable to development because they are level sites in the mountain terrain. Rare species identified at the sites include the bog turtle, bog fern, cranberry, gray’s lily, large, purple-fringed orchid, purple-leaf willowherb, four-toed salamander and Baltimore checkerspot.

2 . Sandy Run Savannas State Natural Area in Pender and Onslow counties - Savannas are renowned for extraordinary plant diversity and high numbers of rare species, and Sandy Run is also strategically located as a military base buffer at the edge of Camp Lejeune. It also adjoins Holly Shelter and Angola Bay game lands. Rare species at the site includes Venus flytrap, golden sedge, red-cockaded woodpecker, Cooley’s meadowrue, yellow fringeless orchid, Carolina goldenrod and rough-leaf loosestrife.

N.C. Natural Heritage Program

North Carolina Now Has 100 Dedicated State Nature Preserves - Dedicated Nature Preserves are areas of natural significance important for scientific research and education, as reservoirs of biodiversity, as habitats for native plant and animal species and biotic communities and for public enjoyment. The N.C. Natural Heritage Program administers two conservation programs:

• Registry, a formal agreement between landowner and DENR;
• Dedication, a permanent conservation agreement to establish a Dedicated Nature Preserve.

The dedication is a stronger form of protection, and Dedicated Nature Preserves can be owned by state agencies or universities, local governments, or private individuals or organizations.

Beginning of New Population of Rare Sunflower - One of our state’s more eye-catching native plants is the Schweinitz’s Sunflower, Helianthus schweinitzii. Unfortunately, it is on the endangered list with less than a hundred native populations known to exist in the Carolinas. Many are quite small and contain fewer than 40 plants.

This beautiful sunflower begins flowering in late August or early September and continues through the first frost. Each fall, volunteers from conservation groups, government agencies and individuals around the Piedmont survey for new populations and monitor known populations. In extreme cases, where populations are expected be destroyed, they also collect seeds that will be sown in appropriate nearby nature preserves. (It is illegal to collect threatened and endangered plants from the wild without permits from the appropriate agencies.)

The Natural Heritage Program was one of several partners who undertook a last resort conservation measure, moving Schweinitz’s Sunflowers from the path of a pending road paving project. Through their efforts, a new protected population is now taking root at Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County, where the plants historically grew. Some parks in the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County system also provide refuge for the sunflower, including Latta Park, where an example of the plant’s natural prairie habitat is being created.

Rare Plant Identification Workshop a Success – The N.C. Natural Heritage Program worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide specialized training for members of the N.C. Association of Environmental Professionals. During a two-day workshop in July in the North Carolina mountains, 25 participants learned to identify federal and state threatened and endangered species in their natural habitats. When these professionals encounter rare plants while working on road, construction, or mitigation projects, they will know how to properly protect them.

Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program

APNEP Policy Board Funds Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Research - The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program policy board has allocated approximately $160,000 to acquire digital images of some of our most important estuarine habitats -- submerged aquatic vegetation in the North Carolina sounds. SAV supports many species of fish and shellfish and are major fishery habitats of the shallow sounds behind North Carolina’s barrier islands and along the coastal fringes bordering the western side of these sounds. SAV provides food and cover for a great variety of commercially and recreationally important fish.

Though North Carolina is believed to be second only to Florida in acreage of SAV, a comprehensive survey has never been done in the state. Determining reliable trends in SAV distribution and health will be useful to researchers and essential for the state and federal agencies responsible for the management of this vital fish habitat.

APNEP, a collaborative effort involving state, federal and local governments, as well as educational, scientific and nonprofit entities, also includes extensive citizen participation. The policy board recently welcomed four new members to its ranks. Etles Henries Jr., of Aurora, Granville Meitland of Wilsons, Va., Brian Long, of Raleigh, and Lee Lewis Leidy, of Manteo, joined the policy board. They represent, respectively, commercial fishing/seafood industry, agriculture, media communications and conservation.

APNEP’s mission is the identification, restoration and protection of 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 information, please visit APNEP’s Web site: www.apnep.org, or contact Joan Giordano, outreach coordinator, at (252) 948-3825 or joan.giordano@ncmail.net.

Ecosystem Enhancement Program

Publication spotlights partnership on preservation between Ecosystem Enhancement Program and Conservation Trust for North Carolina - A new report,“Land Trusts and the Ecosystem Enhancement Program: A Historic Partnership,” details the progress made by the collaborative preservation effort between the state of North Carolina and the land trusts, an arrangement that is believed to be unprecedented nationally on its scale. The Conservation Trust for North Carolina, the statewide resource center for North Carolina’s 24 local land trusts, and the North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy released the report. The collaboration forged in 2003 between the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Ecosystem Enhancement Program and the state’s local land trusts has contributed significantly to the state’s preservation of streams and wetlands and improved water quality. This 24-page report is available at http://ctnc.org/downloads/eepbook.pdf.

North Carolina Trails

In North Carolina, we are fortunate to have developed a variety of trails we can use for recreation and exercise. People who engage in outdoor activities as a means of staying healthy frequently become strong supporters of natural resource conservation. Local communities also reap economic benefits from nature-based tourism.
Two trails are highlighted here, and several others are featured at http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/other_trails.asp.

Haw River Trail - A partnership of nine local governments has joined with the state to provide greater protection to the Haw River and a permanent trail system for paddlers and hikers. Part of this trail system will be included in the state's Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The Haw River's headwater springs lie at the eastern edge of Forsyth County. The river then runs 110 miles through Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance and Orange counties, before ending at the Deep River in Chatham County.

Since the Haw River Trail opened in 2000, local governments have already received $178,000 from the state's Department of Environment and Natural Resources toward acquiring additional public access sites or adding parking or paths at existing sites. Chatham, Orange, Guilford, Rockingham and Alamance counties, as well as Burlington, Graham, Swepsonville and the town of Haw River, have agreed to work toward establishing a 500-foot buffer on each side of the river for conservation, recreation and cultural purposes. The partnership also will improve and add to the 18 sites that now give paddlers access to the river and work with the state to plan more extensive paddle and hiking trails.

Officials see the partnership as a boost to economic and environmental goals. Preserving the natural resources will protect water quality, while the recreational opportunities also bring in more travel and tourism. Along a part of the corridor, vineyard owners have created the Haw River Wine Trail and are working to have it designated an American Viticultural Area. The Textile Heritage Museum and the Haw River Historical Association Museum also are near the Haw. In Saxapahaw, the old mill was renovated as apartments and commercial space. That renovation has helped spark a summer farmer's market and a concert series. For more information about the Haw River Trail, go to http://www.hawrivertrail.org/

North Carolina Birding Trail - The North Carolina Birding Trail is being developed to link existing bird watching sites into a cohesive unit across the state. Sustainable bird watching activities will support wildlife in their diverse natural habitats, and attract travelers to see more than 460 species of birds.

Many partners are working together to develop the trail, including the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, N.C. ea Grant, N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. So far, 102 sites have been selected for the coastal plain portion of the trail, and nominations for sites in the piedmont region will be accepted later this fall. Visit http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/ for updates and detailed information.

For more information about the North Carolina State Trails Program, go to http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/trails/home.html.

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Implementation of the Wildlife Action Plan - The Wildlife Resources Commission has identified implementation of the Wildlife Action Plan as an agency-wide focal area for outreach in 2007. A number of special educational efforts focused on the Wildlife Action Plan will be coming together this fall, including the annual Wildlife Resources Commission display at the North Carolina State Fair in October. Wildlife in North Carolina magazine will feature a series of six articles about the Wildlife Diversity Program and the implementation of the Wildlife Action Plan. Also planned are a fun educational booklet, a documentary video and television spots.

North Carolina’s conservation strategy exceeds 600 pages and took three years to produce. It has been posted on the Wildlife Commission’s Web site, www.ncwildlife.org, in sections that can be downloaded and saved as PDF files. The Wildlife Commission developed its conservation strategy in collaboration with hundreds of conservation partners across the state, including the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, the Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy. The Wildlife Commission also engaged and involved the public, thus strengthening North Carolina’s strategy.

The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy is an effective resource for broad-reaching conservation action in North Carolina because it links species and habitat conservation issues. This strategy proposes a cost-effective, proactive approach to the conservation of entire wildlife communities, including those animals that traditionally have been underfunded and overlooked.

Stewardship Development Outstanding Recognition Award

Buddy Milliken, developer of the Shallotte Village of Woodsong, received the Cape Fear Stewardship Development Outstanding Recognition award for preservation of existing habitat, limitation of impervious surfaces and water conservation efforts. The Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Program was established to recognize developers in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender Counties for projects that are exemplary in their attempts to protect the area’s natural resources. For more information on the Stewardship Development Program, go to www.stewardshipdev.com.

For more information on the village of Woodsong, visit www.villageofwoodsong.com/index.asp