VOLUME 13 ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2013
Camps & Kids & Coastal Land Trust....Oh MY! With the Coastal Land Trust’s recent acquisition of the Camp Sam Hatcher Tract, the Land Trust has now saved more than 50,000 acres along the coast! This gorgeous property lies along Gales Creek in Carteret County and has been owned by the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America for many years.
atcher
p Sam H
at Cam les Creek
Along Ga
“We are thrilled to have been able to partner with the Boys Scouts to protect this ecologically significant property that has been loved and enjoyed by so many through the years,” said Camilla Herlevich, Executive Director of the Coastal Land Trust. “We are also excited about working with the Boy Scouts on a plan to expand environmental and recreational use of the property in the months and years ahead.” In this case, we’re proud to say that “good fences do not make good neighbors” because one of our new neighbors is the Croatan National Forest! The acquisition of this Tract will provide a great protective buffer to these adjoining public lands and high quality natural heritage area. Janice Allen, Land Trust Deputy Director, and Jesica Blake, Director of Stewardship, are particularly thrilled because our neighbor, the U. S. Forest Service, has already invited us to “play” with them – by expressing an interest in partnering with us to do a prescribed burn on the property. This exceptional tract also hosts longleaf pine sandhills (we love these!) and savanna habitat with rare plants and animals as residents. We also love the fact that the property lies along Gales Creek, a beautiful tidal creek that flows into Bogue Sound, an Outstanding Resource Water. The Coastal Land Trust will continue to own, manage and steward this lovely property.
Screened Cabi
n
Another new (and great) neighbor is the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The termination of a 20-year lease with the Eckerd’s Youth Foundation in 2010 raised the threat of a sale of the entire property, and the loss of much-loved and well-used recreational facilities at the coast. Fortunately the Coastal Land Trust was able to step in. The Boy Scouts sold 201 acres to the Coastal Land Trust and donated a conservation easement over 20 additional acres; the Boy Scouts retained title to the adjoining 122 acres.
Alex Chuman
rds’ nests
spotting for bi
We love to create new and lasting friendships and are delighted that this closing gives us the opportunity to partner with the Boy Scouts and the Forest Service. The Land Trust has two primitive camp sites on our part of the property which include screened in areas for camping. There is also a primitive Chapel overlooking Gales Creek. This all translates into lots of potential for environmental education and outdoor activities!
Fred Stanback Receives National Conservation Award Has Also Contributed to 10 Coastal Land T rust Projects
The Sequoia Award recognizes extraordinary commitment to the NPCA and its work through philanthropy, volunteer service, programmatic efforts, or policy work for a sustained period of time. “Fred Stanback embodies the very definition of the Sequoia Award, and it’s fitting that he is our initial recipient,” said NPCA Senior Southeast Regional Director Don Barger. The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust also has benefitted from the leadership shown by Fred Stanback and his wife Alice. The Stanbacks have not only made generous annual contributions to our operating fund,
but have also provided $3.5M in capital grants to specific Coastal Land Trust projects since 2008. “Fred and Alice Stanback are the most generous conservation donors of their generation,” said Camilla Herlevich, Executive Director. Coastal Land Trust projects which have received grants from the Fred and Alice Stanback Fund include Clarendon Plantation, Magnolia Farm, Meherrin River, Camp Sam Hatcher, Town Creek, Lea Island, Pettigrew State Park, and Brown’s Island. Fred and Alice Stanback also established the Stanback Internship Program within the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. The program, established in 1995, enables students to intern at conservation organizations during the summer. The Coastal Land Trust has benefited from the assistance of Stanback interns for many years. This year’s “Stanback Interns” are Allison Fox and Alex Chuman, who are introduced on page three in this issue of Coastlines.
Mr. and Mrs. Stanback also support a host of other non-profits with their time and advice, both in their hometown of Salisbury and throughout the state of North Carolina. Mr. Stanback is currently on the boards of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, Catawba College and the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation. Photo courtesy of NPCA
Fred Stanback, long-time conservationist and philanthropist, was awarded the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)’s first-ever Sequoia Award. The new award, presented to Stanback at a reception in Washington, D.C. on May 17th, honors individuals who have enhanced the advocacy organization’s efforts to protect the National Park System or individual national parks.
Pictured with Mr. Fred Standback, second from left, are Tom Kiernan, Don Barger, and Jay Lutze, all of NPCA.