December 2008 edition

Featured Articles:

• Check out the NEW One NC Naturally Web site!
• What is new with the CHPP?
• Conservation Planning Tool is growing
• Other planning efforts across our state
• New discovery added to state rare species list
• Just released - Caldwell and Transylvania inventories
• Moving toward the Million Acres goal
• Changes to the Conservation Tax Credit Program
• 25 Year Milestone for Michael Schafale
• Welcome new staff members
• Conservation success stories
• Working Lands Toolbox now available
• Making easement programs successful
• Conservation Trust Fund grants available
• Blue Ridge Parkway celebrates 75 years

Check out the NEW One NC Naturally Web site!

The One NC Naturally Web site has been completely revamped. We have expanded our offerings to include more news about the conservation successes achieved with our various partners, and a calendar to help you keep track of key events. Many of the articles in this newsletter will link you to the fresh sections and give you a chance to explore our offerings. Can you find something about your favorite conservation program? More...

What is new with the CHPP?

The Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Annual Report is now available online. The report highlights this past year’s CHPP activities and also lists upcoming initiatives that are CHPP-related. Some of the major CHPP projects are being carried out by the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program and its partners. These include mapping submerged aquatic vegetation using remotely sensed data and extensive ground-trust field surveys of this vital fishery habitat. APNEP is also collaborating on an EPA-funded project to address the issue of climate change along the coast. The Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds region has been named one of the top three areas most threatened by sea level rise in the United States.

This fall the five-year review of the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan began. It is anticipated that the review and the revisions to the CHPP document will take about 15 months. The adopting commissions - Marine Fisheries, Coastal Resources and Environmental Management - will then be asked to approve the revised document late in 2009 or early 2010. More...

Conservation Planning Tool is growing

With much of the state experiencing rapid population growth, compatible land use planning in North Carolina has become a priority. The Conservation Planning Tool is being widely used throughout the state as part of long-range land use and transportation planning efforts.

Originally focused on biodiversity and wildlife habitat, new assessments were added this year to provide a more complete picture of North Carolina’s natural assets:

• The Water Services Assessment prioritizes lands that are most critical to protect water resources for N.C.'s residents.
• The Farmland Assessment, which prioritizes viable and threatened agriculture lands, was developed by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
• The Forest Lands Assessment, which prioritizes high value and threatened forest resources, is expected to be released in January 2009.

Available online as an interactive map viewer, the assessments are also available as GIS datasets for professional use.

Other planning efforts across our state

North Carolina is fortunate to have many successful partnerships that have collaboratively planned and implemented conservation projects. Whether statewide or regional, these planning efforts contribute greatly to maintaining the state's green infrastructure. Examples include the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Blue Ridge Forever, Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, and Southeast Region Partnership for Planning and Sustainability. To learn how to get involved with one of these or a dozen other planning efforts taking place in North Carolina, go to Other Planning Efforts.

New discovery added to state rare species list

Did you know the Natural Heritage Program list of rare animals and plants is revised routinely? New species are added to the list, and others are dropped from the list for several reasons. One example is the new discovery of the federally endangered Roanoke logperch, which was first recorded in North Carolina just last summer in the Dan River basin. Once thought to be endemic to Virginia, the federally endangered Roanoke logperch must now be considered a Tarheel resident.

The rare species lists are published periodically, generally every two years.The "Natural Heritage Program List of the Rare Animal Species of North Carolina -- 2008" and the "Natural Heritage Program List of the Rare Plant Species of North Carolina -- 2008" have been completed and are now available for review and download from the N.C. Natural Heritage Program Web site.

They contain all species listed at the federal level as Endangered and Threatened, and at the state level as Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern. In addition, the N.C. Natural Heritage Program tracks certain other "non-listed" species as Significantly Rare; these are additional species in need of monitoring/protecting in the state. The plant and animal publications also contain "Watch Lists" of other species that are not as rare as the above, but that may need tracking or listing in upcoming years.

Just released - Caldwell and Transylvania Natural Area Inventories

The Natural Heritage Program has conducted natural area inventories for numerous North Carolina counties over the past 25 years. New inventories were completed this year for Caldwell and Transylvania counties, which are available online. Yancey and Robeson county inventories will be completed soon. Staff are currently conducting inventories in Anson, Stanly, Alleghany and Macon counties.

A County Natural Area Inventory is a systematic search for Significant Natural Heritage Areas, which are areas of land or water identified by our biologists as being important for the conservation of our state's biodiversity. These sites often contain the best examples of natural communities and often include rare and endangered species. Inventories benefit a wide range of users, from individual landowners to large government agencies. Funding for these inventories comes from the N.C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund, county and municipal governments, federal agencies, land trusts and private citizens.

Executive summaries of completed inventories are available online. Full reports are available upon request from the Natural Heritage Program.

Moving toward the Million Acres goal

Public and private partners protected an additional 108,370 acres in 2007, bringing the total number of acres conserved under the Million Acre goal to 589,685. This is an increase in the rate of land protection in North Carolina from the previous year, due in part to an increase in state funds available for conservation. The lands protected in 2007 represent important natural areas for habitat, recreation opportunities, working forests and riparian buffers that maintain water quality and protect floodplains, among others.

Notable projects completed in 2007 include the addition of the 996-acre Chimney Rock Park to the State Parks system, a 1,088-acre conservation easement conveyed from the town of Sylva to the state of North Carolina on the largest remaining unprotected tract in the Plott Balsam Mountains, and the transfer of nearly 60,000 acres of former International Paper land from The Nature Conservancy to the state.

The latest Million Acres annual report details the status of the Million Acre Initiative, which reports on protected acres and offers a strategy for the future, is available online.

Changes to the Conservation Tax Credit Program

Over the past six months, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has revised the application and developed guidelines that clarify the program and address new aspects brought about by recent legislative changes. The department’s role is to certify that the property donated is suitable to provide one or more public benefits, such as public access to public trails and waters, conservation of natural areas or farmland preservation. See the new Conservation Tax Credit Web site for more information.

The N.C. Conservation Tax Credit Program exists to provide an incentive for private landowners to voluntarily conserve their land. When landowners donate a conservation easement or fee simple deed to a qualified recipient, they may receive a tax credit to apply against their state income taxes. Since the state’s Conservation Tax Credit Program was established in 1983, the program’s incentives have resulted in conservation of more than 180,000 acres. A recent conservation easement placed on the Powdermill Creek tract in Avery County is an excellent example of how tax credits benefit both landowner and the public.

25 Year Milestone for Michael Schafale

Many of us have relied on the Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina as an invaluable reference, but we may not be as familiar with its lead author, Michael Schafale, who just celebrated 25 years with the Natural Heritage Program. Mike is the main expert behind this publication, having worked with Alan Weakly and a host of other experts to create the first edition and subsequent revisions. This guide, which describes more than 100 natural community types across our state, has been widely adopted by environmental professionals who need to assess the natural environment and identify rare plant species, often as part of environmental impact assessments or preservation projects. Congratulations!

Welcome New Staff Members

Katie Armstrong joined the Natural Heritage Program in May 2008 as Natural Area Specialist, assuming the role formerly held by Scott Pohlman. She will work with state agencies, local land trusts and other conservation partners to help facilitate protection of identified Significant Natural Heritage Areas. She will also help implement the Conservation Planning Tool and coordinate the Million Acre Initiative. Prior to joining the NHP, Katie worked in land acquisition for NC State Parks and with the Conservation Trust for North Carolina and the National Park Service.

Judith Ratcliffe has recently returned to the Natural Heritage Program to manage the Natural Areas Inventory. She will guide a team working to document Significant Natural Heritage Areas throughout the state. She will be working with local governments, organizations and individuals to facilitate these inventories and establish protection for identified natural areas. Judy first held this position in 2003-2004, until she took time off to start a family. Prior to joining NC NHP, Judy worked six years with NC Wildlife Resources Commission as a nongame aquatic biologist.

Community Specialist Lori Brinn joined the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program in early October. Lori will lead communications, outreach and education efforts for APNEP. She will coordinate and manage the APNEP Citizen’s Advisory Committee, maintain the program Web site, produce a monthly newsletter and serve as the liaison to the Virginia Watershed Roundtables Program. Lori is a North Carolina native and comes to APNEP with GIS and public relations experience and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary ecology.

Conservation Success Stories

The Natural Heritage Program recently received funding from the Natural Heritage Trust Fund to acquire nearly 20 acres of protected red cockaded woodpecker habitat in the town of Boiling Spring Lakes. The upland longleaf pine community on this site, with existing RCW cavity trees, is a landscape that is waning and requires as much protection as possible. This new project site is unique in that its conservation will preserve portions of a significant natural area as well as buffer The Nature Conservancy’s conservation easement at the Girl Scout’s Pretty Pond Camp and the privately-held Orton Plantation.

A long-term collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the Plant Conservation Program has created the Boiling Spring Lakes Preserve that conserves more than 7,000 acres in this area of Brunswick County.

Working Lands Toolbox Now Available

Our state is fortunate to have many partners that provide support to landowners desiring to continue working their land, while supporting long-term conservation goals. Detailed in the new Working Lands Toolbox section of this Web site, a variety of tools are available to counter farm and forest loss, ranging from easements and cost share agreements for individual landowners to farmland protection plans across entire counties.

With North Carolina’s population growing rapidly, counties are taking steps to make sure they balance development with protecting natural resources and farmland. Two-thirds of North Carolina’s counties have established voluntary agricultural districts, a planning tool that provides recognition of farming in communities. And in November, Haywood County became the latest county to approve a farmland protection plan, joining Alamance, Buncombe, Cabarrus and Polk. Plans for protecting farmland are also in the works in 19 additional counties.

Making easement programs successful

When landowners decide they are ready to place a conservation agreement on their land, they need a qualified conservation organization or public agency to receive the easements. As one type of eligible recipient, soil and water conservation districts have recently been exploring the legal concerns and financial responsibilities involved. Michelle Lovejoy, Area 2 coordinator for the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation, recently organized a series of workshops for the districts. Representatives from land trusts, universities and state and local government shared their expertise as they helped build an understanding of how districts can help preserve forest and farm lands. This information will be provided in the Working Lands Preservation Resource Manual, which will be available online in 2009.

Conservation Trust Fund grants available

North Carolina's conservation acquisitions are primarily supported by four dedicated sources of funding. These funds offer critical financial support for conserving our clean air and water, our spectacular natural attractions and the farms that help drive our economy. Through carefully prioritized investments in a variety of land conservation initiatives, they all contribute to protecting our state's quality of life.

The Clean Water Management Trust Fund provides grants to local governments, state agencies and conservation nonprofits to help finance projects that protect water quality and address water pollution problems. The 2009 Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant applications are available online. The application has been revised this year, and all applications are due on Feb. 2, 2009.

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund provides grants to local government to provide recreational opportunities for their residents. PARTF provides the primary source of funding to build and renovate facilities in the state parks as well as buy land for new and existing parks. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund applications are due Feb. 2, 2009 to the applicant's regional consultant at Recreation Resources Service.

The Natural Heritage Trust Fund provides grants for state agencies to acquire and protect the state's most important natural and/or cultural sites, preserve the state's ecological diversity, and inventory the natural areas of the state. NHTF spring grant applications are due March 2, 2009. The application has been slightly revised and is available online. The meeting will be in Raleigh at the Wildlife Resources Commission Headquarters office in Centennial Campus on Sunday April 26 (business meeting) and Monday April 27 (award meeting).

The N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund provides funding assistance to county governments and nonprofit groups pursuing farmland preservation projects. Last year, the trust fund awarded $7.6 million in grants for 41 projects across the state. The General Assembly’s appropriation to the trust fund for 2009 is smaller, $4 million, but interest is still high. As of the Dec. 5 application deadline, the trust fund had received nearly 70 requests for $15.5 million in grant assistance. Updates will be available online.

Blue Ridge Parkway celebrates 75 years

As the Blue Ridge Parkway prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, stewardship of the 469-mile roadway is a priority. Blue Ridge Parkway 75 Inc. has been organized and tasked with coordinating an anniversary that celebrates the legacy of this national treasure, addresses issues regarding the fragility of the resource, and lays the groundwork for the parkway’s role in the region and nation as an economic force for generations to come. More...