Three Rivers Land Trust is excited to announce the recent conservation of 250 acres in Randolph County, North Carolina. This property boasts a mature hardwood forest and several rare species of plant and animal life. This property’s permanent conservation helps to build upon and maintain an important wildlife corridor, thanks to its close proximity to the Uwharrie National Forest. “This property also possesses over a half-mile of frontage on Poison Fork Creek, considered an outstanding resource water. This is the highest water quality designation the State of North Carolina bestows,” states Crystal Cockman, Director of Conservation, Three Rivers Land Trust.
Fred and Alice Stanback, the Open Space Institute (OSI), and Three Rivers Land Trust members provided funding for this conservation easement.
“We are so grateful to all of our funding partners for helping Three Rivers Land Trust continue our mission to conserve these important properties,” states Travis Morehead, Executive Director, Three Rivers Land Trust.
OSI partners with conservation organizations in the Southeast to assemble networks of protected lands to preserve plant and animal diversity in a changing climate. Their Southeast Resilient Landscapes Fund, capitalized with a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, provides capital grants and loans to qualified non-profits for the acquisition of land or conservation easements on climate-resilient lands.
“OSI is proud to have supported the protection of this outstanding project, which provides a critical buffer to Uwharrie National Forest and demonstrates the importance of protecting land for wildlife facing an uncertain future,” said Peter Howell, Executive Vice President at OSI. “We applaud Three Rivers Land Trust for their work on this project and for their continued commitment to protection across this landscape.”
Three Rivers Land Trust has completed other conservation projects in this area of Randolph County, including expanding the Uwharrie National Recreational Trail by a length of eight additional miles, adding two new trailheads, and expanding access on gamelands for hiking and hunting.
”We have also applied to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund for the protection of 250 additional acres adjoining this tract and will find out about that funding in September of this year,” states Crystal Cockman. A special thank you to the conservation-minded landowner of this tract, who wishes to remain anonymous.
To learn more about how you can support Three Rivers Land Trust or how to conserve property in our region, contact Crystal Cockman at 704-647-0302 or crystal@threeriverslandtrust.org