A Year of Land Conservation

by Crystal Cockman

12/20/2016

As I look back on what The Land Trust has accomplished this year, I am grateful and proud to work for this organization. We transferred three properties to public ownership – one to the federal government, the Uwharrie National Forest, one to the state government, Morrow Mountain State Park, and one to local government, Davidson County. All three of these property transfers were years in the making, and all are not only permanently conserved, but are now publicly available for everyone to enjoy.

The first property we transferred we call the Tucker Property, and it was located on the headwaters of McLeans creek on Highway 109. This 185-acre property bridged the gap between two disjunct Uwharrie National Forest properties, providing a wildlife corridor for game and nongame species, and the future potential of a loop trail branching off the Uwharrie Trail and connecting to the Badin Recreational Area. This site also promises to be important for equestrians, as it ties this major highway into the horse trails found in the recreation area.

The second property we transferred this year was a small but important one that became a part of Morrow Mountain State Park. This 5-acre tract housed a globally rare hillside seepage bog, important breeding habitat for amphibians. These upland pools don’t have water year-round and therefore don’t support fish, a would-be predator for salamanders and the like. This site also has a unique Piedmont monadnock forest, which basically means a forest with big boulders, some in excess of 20 feet high. The rare plant crested coralroot also calls this property home.

The last property that was placed into public ownership this year was Historic Fort York. This property was the site of the last battle of the Civil War, occurring three days after Lee surrendered, as word had not made it back yet to the fighting parties. The earthernworks on this property are still in excellent condition, as you see trenches and rifle pits while walking around on the site. This is also along a historic trading ford path, important for Native Americans and early settlers alike. We have several conservation easement projects in the works to close late in the year or early next year, as landowners seek to preserve their special places for future generations.

This year we’ve worked to connect people to nature, as well. We had our annual Uwharrie Trail thru hike event, where more than 60 people joined us to celebrate the work done towards extending the Uwharrie Trail, many of them backpacking the full 40-mile length of the Uwharrie Trail. We helped with workdays to create trails on at the Forks of Little River Park in Star, and helped the town develop a parking area there so the public can enjoy this beautiful new park. We also had our first disabled youth hunt on our Two Rivers Preserve, where the Yadkin and South Yadkin Rivers come together.

Looking ahead to the new year, we have more great land conservation projects in the pipeline, including the Alcoa lands, which promises to be one of the largest conservation projects in the Piedmont. This is roughly 4,700 acres of land along the Yadkin River that The LandTrust has the opportunity to purchase from Alcoa, preserving water quality and scenic viewsheds along the river.

We’ve launched our new Sportsman Program, whereby current sportsman members of The LandTrust will be able to access certain LandTrust-owned property for hunting through a permit draw system for dove, deer, waterfowl, or turkey. We also have a new youth initiative we are calling the Leopold Society, where we are partnering with local schools to get kids outdoors. The program will include a “passport” with requirements for the participants to complete various activities related to the outdoors, such as hiking, paddling, hunting, fishing, and orienteering. By reaching out to youth, we are helping build the next generation of conservationists. For more information on either of these programs, contact Michael Nye at michael@landtrustcnc.org or 704-647-0302.

The end of the year is a good time for reflecting back on what has been achieved and looking forward at what can be accomplished in the coming year. If this year is any indication of the next, we will see more great conservation work completed and more avenues of getting the public out on special properties and places in the Piedmont. Thanks to all our many supporters who make this work possible.