COASTLINES VOLUME 19 // ISSUE 2 // Summer 2019
Preservation NC honors Coastal
The Lower Cape Fear Conservation Initiative More Than 18,000 Acres Protected by the Coastal Land Trust
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Along the Lower Cape Fear Corridor—Where It All Began
A LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST LANDSCAPE PROJECT:
THE LOWER CAPE FEAR CORRIDOR As early as its founding in 1992, the Coastal Land Trust identified the Cape Fear Corridor, a true landscape-scale project, as its initial conservation priority. The lands lining the west banks of the Cape Fear River, a mosaic of longleaf pine forests, interlaced with tidal creeks emptying into the lower Cape Fear, served as a fulcrum for history, wildlife habitat, and culture.
were protected through conservation easement donations beginning in 1998. Later, funds from state and federal grants were added to the mix; and the Coastal Land Trust was able to save even more lands in this key historic landscape. In total, more than 18,000 acres of land have been protected along the storied Cape Fear River and its tributaries.
Thanks to the generosity of a handful of landowners, thousands of acres
With its purchase of Reaves Chapel Corridor, continued on page 3
Coastal Land Trust Receives Preservation NC Award From left: Coastal Land Trust staff members Laural Coffey, Mellissa Dionesotes, Stephanie Borrett, Jesica Blake and Executive Director Camilla Herlevich, with Al Beatty, President of Cedar Hill / West Bank Heritage Foundation.
At its Annual Conference, Preservation NC recognized the Coastal Land Trust for its role in protecting significant historic landscapes in the state’s coastal plain. The Coastal Land Trust was the recipient of The Minnette C. Duffy 2018 Landscape Preservation Award for protecting Salmon Creek / Site X and Reaves Chapel. This award is the highest honor given by the statewide organization for the preservation, restoration or maintenance of landscapes, gardens, streetscapes, or grounds related to historic structures. While the Coastal Land Trust’s mission is focused on saving nature, many of the places that host special habitats are also lands with cultural, archaeological, and historic values. For example, the Salmon Creek / Site X project, which has abundant ecological values, also contains rich Algonkian and colonial archaeological resources, including many linked to the Lost Colony. This property, recently purchased by the Coastal Land Trust, was among the places cited by Preservation NC in its award presentation. Other natural areas protected by the context to significant historic structures Award, continued on page 4
www.CoastalLandTrust.org
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