A CHERRY OF A DEAL:
Farmers Receive Much Needed Assistance to Protect Their Land
by John Van Gieson

click here to see
TAR RIVER LAND CONSERVANCY
featured in this article for
"On Common Ground"
a publication of the National Realtors Association

******************************************************************

TAR RIVER PROPERTY
DONATED
TO CONSERVANCY

In December of 2008, sisters Susan Roberts of Raleigh and Joy Bolger of Fort Hood, Texas, donated a 52-acre tract of land to the Tar River Land Conservancy. Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Bolger are granddaughters of the late Herman C. Kemp of Franklin County, who acquired the property in 1944.

The Kemp Tract includes three-tenths of a mile of frontage on the Tar River just downstream of Louisburg. The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program designates the Tar River as “nationally significant” aquatic wildlife habitat. The property is entirely wooded, providing important water quality buffers for the river and excellent habitat for native plant and animal species. “We are honored and grateful to receive this gift,” says Derek Halberg, Executive Director for the non-profit land trust. “The protection of this property will benefit drinking water and wildlife for our whole community as well as the scenic beauty of the Tar River for all who enjoy it.”

Over the coming year, the Conservancy will install boundary markers, document plants and wildlife, and create a land management plan for the property. The Duke Energy Foundation and the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation have contributed funding to help the Conservancy cover these costs and other costs of the project.

Tar River Land Conservancy now holds over 130 permanent conservation easements on privately-owned land and owns nine properties outright. The Kemp Tract is the second property to be acquired outright by the Conservancy in Franklin County. “We are entrusted with a stewardship responsibility with each property that we acquire,” says Halberg. “We document the natural features of each property we protect and prepare management plans for all the properties we own. We make sure to visit each property regularly and try to keep neighbors and community leaders informed about what we’re doing.”

Tar River Land Conservancy recently launched a fundraising campaign to raise $20,000 for its stewardship program. Funds from the campaign will be used to manage the Kemp Tract and the Conservancy’s other conservation properties. Donations in support of the campaign may be sent to P.O. Box 1161, Louisburg NC 27549.

PARTNERSHIP PROTECTS
LAKE HOLT, WILDLIFE,
CAMP BUTNER
A project that permanently protects drinking water, wildlife habitat and other natural resources at Lake Holt has received final approval for a grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The grant covers some of the costs for surveying a conservation easement around the lake, which provides water to the communities of Butner, Stem and Creedmoor.

The easement ensures that the land around Lake Holt will remain permanently undeveloped. Activities that are already taking place on the property, such as public recreation, education, and farming, will still be allowed. \

The State of North Carolina, which owns the property, granted the easement to the Town of Butner and the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority. Tar River Land Conservancy facilitated the project, which permanently protects 1,668 acres of land adjoining Camp Butner and the Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land.
“The Town of Butner would like to thank the Tar River Land Conservancy for taking the lead on this project. They were instrumental in bringing together all the necessary stakeholders and securing these grant funds,” says Tommy Marrow, Manager for the town.

The easement also protects portions of Knap of Reeds Creek, which feeds Lake Holt as well as Falls Lake, the primary water supply for the City of Raleigh. Besides its importance as a municipal water supply, Knap of Reeds provides habitat for three threatened freshwater mussel species: the Creeper, Carolina Fatmucket, and Chameleon Lampmussel.

The project received additional funding from the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, the Town of Butner, the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority and the North Carolina National Guard. The easement provides a buffer from residential development for the adjoining Camp Butner National Guard Training Site. "It was a natural collaboration and we are deeply pleased with the outcome,” says Dr. John Shaw, Training Site Manager for the National Guard. “We especially appreciate all of the work Tar River Land Conservancy did to bring this project to successful closure. I look forward to continuing the close working relationships we have established with them, the Town of Butner, and our other neighbors in the area to preserve and protect the things that make the area such a wonderful place to live."

“Lake Holt is one of the most beautiful reservoirs in the Piedmont, and now it will stay that way,” says Marrow. “We encourage everyone to visit the lake during the summer months and enjoy one of Butner’s best kept secrets.”

The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund was established in 1996 to help finance projects that enhance or restore degraded waters, protect unpolluted waters, or create stream buffers and greenways for environmental, educational and recreational benefits. The fund’s independent Board of Trustees has full responsibility over the allocation of moneys. “We are proud to participate in projects like this one that are clearly important to the health and well-being of communities like Butner," said Richard Rogers, Executive Director for the fund. The agency estimates that over $17 billion is needed to protect and restore water quality in North Carolina.

Maggie Lawrence, Land Stewardship Coordinator
for the Tar River Land Conservancy,
leans against a willow oak on the Kemp property.
The property was donated to the land trust in December of 2008.

Lake Holt provides water to the communities of
Butner, Stem and Creedmoor.