The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust recently completed two more land acquisition projects along our coast which total more than 950 acres. Please read on for more information about our latest accomplishments.

The first land acquisition project occurs along our Town Creek corridor in Brunswick County. This spring, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Henry put a conservation easement on 69 acres of their land along Town Creek. This was the Henrys’ second conservation easement transaction! The newest tract is adjacent to the Henrys’ 249-acre property that was placed under easement with the Coastal Land Trust in 2002. The newly protected parcel is located across the creek from the Coastal Land Trust’s easement on the Troy Henry estate; part of the Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve. The Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve is managed by UNCW and is open to the public. You can learn more about visiting the preserve by following this link: http://www.uncwil.edu/BA/physicalplant/arboretum/ev-henwood/index.htm.

The Town Creek Henry property is special because it consists of relatively pristine mature cypress-gum swamp, bottomland hardwoods, and 5,900 linear feet along Town Creek. The land was protected in order to preserve the water quality of the area. It was also important to preserve a wildlife corridor between the headwaters of Town Creek at the Green Swamp and other protected lands downstream. The Coastal Land Trust was able to purchase this easement at a bargain sale price with funds donated by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Stanback.

Further up the coast, our second closing is in an area where the Coastal Land Trust is partnering with the military to conserve ecologically important lands that also serve to protect military bases from encroachment. This easement represents the second phase of our land protection efforts around Turnagain Bay. In this phase the Coastal Land Trust protected nearly 900 acres of land located on the South River and Eastman Creek in Carteret County. This protected property is part of the Luken’s island peninsula where the Neuse River meets the Pamlico Sound. The area consists of fairly pristine wetlands and provides a significant bird breeding habitat, while the surrounding waters provide oyster habitat, a fish nursery area, and fishing opportunities for both commercial and recreational fishermen.

The Turnagain Bay/Henry project is a partnership between the Coastal Land Trust, US Navy, NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, North American Wildlife Conservation Act (NAWCA), and the NC Attorney General’s Military Support Act program. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund, NAWCA, and the Attorney General provided funding for the project development, transaction costs, and acquisition of the easement.