September 2009 editionFeatured Articles:
Natural Heritage Program data is widely used
Significant Natural Area Inventories completed for Yancey and Robeson countiesLocated on opposite sides of the state, Yancey and Robeson counties each contain a number of unique natural areas that are described in new inventory reports. Shawn Oakley and Harry LeGrand of the N.C. Natural Heritage Program conducted extensive on-site surveys to produce the county inventories, which were funded by the N.C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund. County inventories support conservation of the rarest and the most outstanding elements of the natural diversity of our state, because they identify plants and animals which are so rare, or the natural communities which are so significant, that they merit special consideration as land-use decisions are made.
The Black Mountains of southern Yancey County contain numerous ecologically-significant sites, including several that are continuously connected across the landscape for an amazing 19 miles! Yancey County includes Mount Mitchell State Park, Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and shares a border with Tennessee. Shawn Oakley’s survey provides a better understanding of the distribution of several high elevation community types of the Black Mountains, including new information on the distribution of the rare Red Spruce-Fraser Fir Forest type and documentation of rich, sugar maple-dominated Northern Hardwood Forest communities. Other discoveries included Northern Hardwood Forest and the uncommon Boulderfield Forest community type at elevations as low as 3,200 feet. Those forests are found on the cool north slope of the Nolichucky Gorge, rare Montane Calcareous Cliff communities in the gorge bottom, and previously-unidentified forest communities in the Black Mountains section of Pisgah National Forest which are approaching old-growth status, yet which are without protection.
Mineral Spring Barrens Site preserves rare native sunflower
One NC Naturally Conservation Planning Tool updates available
Working Lands partnerships
Soil and Water Conservation Districts can hold conservation easements. The Working Lands Subcommittee was formed by the N.C. Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts to address issues relating to conservation districts and their role as conservation easement holders. Jerry Dorsett, DENR’s Working Lands coordinator, is working with land trusts, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, district supervisors and other organizations in this effort. Using the outdoors to teach about water quality issues On Oct. 23, APNEP will partner with the N.C. Office of Environmental Education to host our state’s first Outdoor Classroom Symposium at the N.C. Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. APNEP will focus on techniques for creating, maintaining and using outdoor classrooms and strategies for integrating outdoor learning into the curriculum. Symposium Registration information is available here. Climate change efforts at DENR - Addressing Climate Change through Mitigation and AdaptationDENR Secretary Dee Freeman has established a departmental priority to respond to climate change, which is expected to have a great impact on North Carolina’s natural resources and environmental quality. Anticipated effects include sea level rise resulting in loss of lowlands and saltwater intrusion into aquifers, decline or extinction of plants and animals, and changes in crop and tree species. A coordinated effort is being developed to address climate change by using mitigation and adaptation strategies to increase the resilience of North Carolina’s resources to these complex changes. DENR will coordinate strategies with other state, federal and nongovernmental partners, working to implement recommendations of the Climate Action Plan Advisory Group, and working with the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change. As part of our mitigation efforts to reduce the department’s greenhouse gas emissions, DENR has implemented a Strategic Energy Plan to reduce to reduce water and energy usage and participated in The Climate Registry. Because of our long and vulnerable coastline, adaptation strategies to deal with sea level rise will be critical. The N.C. Division of Coastal Management is determining the predicted rate of sea level rise and considering appropriate policies to address the expected impacts. Through the Climate Ready Estuaries program, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program is exploring how to work with local decision-makers to help them plan for their communities. The Coastal Habitat Protection Plan is being updated and will address climate change impacts on each habitat type. North Carolina also has climate-sensitive ecosystems in nature reserves, parks, forests and farmlands. We are beginning to consider adaptive management strategies to address climate change stressors, so that functioning ecosystems can continue to provide services essential for human survival and quality of life. Legislation that supports Open Space conservationA challenging session for the N.C. General Assembly saw gains and losses for land and water protection, with lower funding for the state’s Conservation Trust Funds but stronger policy protection for natural areas. The new state budget includes $50 million per year during the next two years for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund will receive $2 million for one year, while revenue streams that support the Parks and Recreation and Natural Heritage trust funds were protected. Additions authorized for the state parks system include Grandfather Mountain State Park, Bear Paw State Nature Area, Deep River State Trail, Pineola Bog State Natural Area and Sugar Mountain State Natural Area. Senate Bill 968 establishes a permanent Mountain Resources Planning Commission, which is administratively housed within DENR. The commission will have a variety of responsibilities, including:
|
The Natural Heritage Program provides quarterly updates of geospatial data to more than 200 partners who use this ecological information in their work. Subscribers to this geographic information systems data distribution list include federal, state, regional and local government agencies, as well as private conservation groups, consulting firms and universities. The information is used in a variety of ways, ranging from environmental reviews by regulatory agencies to resource planning by groups that manage land. Land developers use it to plan projects that avoid sensitive areas, while land trusts and government agencies use the data to determine which lands should be purchased for conservation purposes. 
Though one thinks of the Lumber River and Lumber River State Park as the most prominent sites in Robeson County, the county’s main “claim to fame” nationally is its large number of clay-based Carolina bays. Though most were destroyed by the conversion to agriculture or silviculture, several dozen remain in natural condition. Four of these sites – all owned by The Nature Conservancy – are nationally significant. Unfortunately, all other bays in the county remain unprotected. Nonetheless, the inventory identified several previously undescribed bays, one of which is state significant. Harry LeGrand’s report identifies 48 areas (46 terrestrial and two aquatic) of significance at the national, state, regional and county level. In addition to the Carolina Bays, the county also contains a handful of remnant stands of longleaf pines, and the very rare woody goldenrod is found at two of these sites. Two newly identified pine flatwoods/savannas of national significance provide habitat for the federally listed red-cockaded woodpecker. Also noteworthy, an outlier of sandhills vegetation occurs at Camp Rockfish, adjacent to Hoke and Cumberland counties
The 
Voluntary agriculture district ordinances have now been adopted in 71 counties. When VAD ordinances are adopted, farmers have an official board and voice in the county, and authority and assistance is provided to develop an agriculture protection plan. Swain, Nash, Montgomery and Anson are among the remaining counties conducting public meetings and developing a local 
Twenty-four middle and high school educators attended this year’s teacher institute, "Environment & Health: Making Connections through Water Quality Investigations," in July at the Trinity Center in Salter Path.