Land+Conservation

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Land Conservation Land conservation in the Triangle, and North Carolina in general, has become incredibly prominent in the last several years. In a world with a continually increasing population we are beginning to run out of places to live. As a result, many important natural areas are being destroyed. This is a real tragedy especially in a state that has such a wide variety of natural beauty, from the outer banks to the Appalachian Mountains. In the Triangle area in particular, we have a number of important rivers, forests, and other areas that are imperative to preserving delicate ecosystems. Creating a healthy environment is not only important on the aesthetic level, but also to the quality of the air we breathe, our food, water, natural resources, our farming economy, and even our tourist industry. It is projected that in less than 30 years the Triangle's population will perhaps reach over 2.5 million. We are losing land at an astounding rate. For a period of 5 years, between 1997 and 2002, 40 acres a day were turned over for development (14,000 acres per year, 70,000 acres total). During this time, however, only 2,400 acres were preserved. Fortunately, the Triangle has a wide range of groups dedicated to conservation.



The Triangle area is fortunate to have a large number of rivers and creeks nearby; many of these, however, have fallen prey to pollution, construction, and other forms of damage. Several organizations work tirelessly to protect these vital and injured ecosystems. The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association is a non-profit organization as of April 1999, that has made great leaps towards preserving Durham’s Ellerbe Creek Watershed. In the past decade they have acquired 150-acres of nature preserves and public recreation centers where water quality is conserved and native habitats are being restored. ECWA has also partnered with the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative to protect all lands surrounding the Upper Neuse River Basin. This will increase the quality of drinking water and subsequently the health and safety of those communities that use the river basin for their water supply. ECWA is in the process of collaborating with the state to restore a .7 mile stretch of Ellerbe Creek flowing through a nature preserve. The organization also offers nature walks, trail and wetland garden building, environmental education programs, preservation of green space, and work to reduce the impact of storm water on the creek. Their ultimate goal is to establish a volunteer network spanning the whole of the watershed, the creation of a trail system throughout the watershed, total preservation of the creek’s headwaters, and renovation of its floodplain and channel. Construction has severely destroyed much of the formerly ubiquitous flora and fauna that surrounded the creek. ECWA works to reinstate a large number of these plant and animal species to the area.



Probably the most prominent land conservation organization in the area is the Triangle Land Conservancy. Founded in 1983 as an all-volunteer based low-level conservation group, it has grown to a huge organization that is nationally renowned. They have conserved more than 14 ,000 acres of preserves many of which are open to the public for recreation, farming, and gardens. Unlike many other land conservancy groups TLC focuses solely on the six-county region in North Carolina that makes up the Triangle. Their area of work is very focused and are therefore able to drive all funding and effort into a much smaller region than many of the large conservancy groups. TLC subsequently has a huge amount of influence over all land in the Triangle district. Their ultimate goal is to eventually conserve more than 45,000 acres of forests, farms, and natural areas. Through collaboration with the government, fund raising, and volunteer work, TLC is well on its way to achieving this feat.



The Haw River Assembly works to protect Jordan Lake and the Haw River. They are also non-profit organization founded in 1982, they also hope to educate the community on the significance of clean water preservation. The Haw River stretches for 110 miles across scenic terrain including Jordan Lake, a reservoir which provides drinking water to several counties. Nearly one million people are a part of this watershed, but pollution and sedimentary runoff have severely damaged this water source. HWA promotes education of the public to create a knowledge based community that will be able to protect the river with or without direct help from the organization.



CTNC works with land trusts, landowners, and government agencies throughout North Carolina to secure the preservation of many important land and water sites. They differ from other conservation agencies in that they mainly support local trusts. Through government lobbying, fund raising, donations, and public education they have helped a great many trusts across the state. CTNC has also conserved some 30,000 scenic acres surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway.



Founded in 1966 this non-profit organization serves to protect the Eno River Basin, naturally, culturally, and historically. At this time they have protected about 5,700 acres along the river which have been converted into several public parks. The association is very active and successful in the community, almost everyone has heard of the Festival for the Eno. The three day celebration often attracts upwards of 30,000 people. All proceeds go directly towards land conservation of the Eno. They work tirelessly towards environmentally responsible development of lands surrounding the river. In the winter and spring several hike series are offered to the public in order to spread awareness of native flora, fauna, and history. The association has been instrumental in protecting the river and projecting to the public community how very important it is to North Carolina.



This organization is dedicated to preserving North Carolina’s environment. Their Research and Policy Center focuses on preserving air, water, and open spaces. They combine independent research, educational campaigns, and innovation to win key victories in North Carolina policy towards the environment. A large portion of their work goes towards achieving government support of environmental procedures. Their key issues are clean water, preservation, clean energy, global warming, clean air, and state legislature. The organization has had a wide range of substantial results from their efforts. Solar energy across the state has been given a boost, they received $58 million for land conservation, cleaner cars are now well on their way, they have protected coastal sounds from runoff pollution, and they have significantly contributed towards cleansing Jordan Lake.



This organization is an amalgamation of citizens, businesses, governments, and interest groups pushing for full funding of North Carolina trust funds ranging from farm land, to parks and recreation, to clean water. They are dedicated to preserving both natural and historical locations throughout the state and educating the public. Their eventual goal is to conserve one million acres.



The Neuse River foundation protects the Neuse River basin which provides drinking water and recreation for several communities through sponsorship, education, and enforcement. Their long term goals include: sustaining a clean and diverse river full of various sorts of wildlife, much greater public participation in the form of volunteering, understanding, and use of the river, portions of the river being allotted as Scenic Waterways to help promote tourism, and key collaboration with government officials to help preserve the river. Founded in 1980 by five local New Bern residents, the organization has made great leaps since its humble beginnings. They have received several awards for their efforts including the NC Wildlife Federation Governor’s Achievement Award for 2006; the highest honor given out to North Carolina conservation groups. The foundation has made great strides in preventing pollution of the river. They even host the largest single-river clean-up event in the state where an astounding 85,000 pounds of trash were removed in 6 years. They have been instrumental in keeping the Neuse River a clean and vibrant source of entertainment and drinking water.



This fund supports farming, forestry, and horticulture communities throughout the state by funding many enterprise programs and conservation agreements. 17% of North Carolina’s work force is involved in agricultural employment while this work composes 20.3% of the states income. Agriculture is the number one industry in the state while the forest goods production is the number one manufacturing industry in North Carolina. Therefore, preserving these industries is vital to the state’s economy and working force. At the moment NC tops the nation in number of farms lost (since 2002, 60,000 acres). As a result, the trust fund was created in 2005 to preserve our disappearing farmlands and forests which are lost to urban development. Since its founding, the trust has made great leaps in curbing the destruction and preserving farmlands and forests for generations to come.



The network is a mixture of over 100 environmental groups dedicated to conservation and public health in North Carolina. They not only support, educate, and coordinate, but also train members to search for fair and sustainable solutions for our environment. Launched in 1998 by a group of 60 organizations working in collaboration with one another, the group has only continued to grow. Their long term goals are to provide updates to multiple conservation groups on important news, to train many activists to enhance their effectiveness, and to support communication and collaboration among separate organizations.

 The Nature Conservancy is world renowned for its efforts with regards to conservation. Founded in 1951 they have protected more than 119 million acres across the world. In North Carolina they have conserved almost 70,000 acres and manage 64 preserves. Local preserves include: Eno River State Park, Raven Rock State Park, and South Mountains Game Land. The organization is dedicated to conservation, climate change solutions, marine conservation, the exploration of alternative energy, and fund raising. As an incredibly large agency, the Conservancy wields a lot of influence throughout the state.