“PROJECT WOW!”
A TOUR DE FORCE OF CONSERVATION GROUPS JOIN
COASTAL LAND TRUST TO SAVE 3,000 ACRES ALONG THE WACCAMAW RIVER
Nearly 3,000 acres of wetlands, critical bottomland hardwood forests, and seven miles of Waccamaw River frontage have been saved by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. The Waters of Waccamaw project (also known as the Waccamaw River Partnership) was made possible thanks to a partnership with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the support of a dozen partnering organizations and funders.
“The Waccamaw is special in more ways than you can count,” said Janice Allen, Deputy Director of the Coastal Land Trust. “It’s not just that the Waccamaw River system contains some of the most beautiful and extensive cypress swamps and blackwater bottomland hardwood forests in the state. It’s truly unique; due to its rare water chemistry and geology, many of the plants and animals that flourish in the Waccamaw are found nowhere else on Earth.”
Considered one of the Southeast’s wildest and most beautiful rivers, the Waccamaw River runs approximately 140 miles across southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina. A sportsman’s paradise, the area also delights birders, as rare warblers and swallow-tailed kites are known to live in the area. Paddlers, too, enjoy the Waccamaw. The Waccamaw River Blue Trail was created through a partnership led by Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® and American Rivers to promote conservation and outdoor recreation along the waterway.
The 3,000-acre property purchased by the Coastal Land Trust is located directly across the river from the Columbus County and Juniper Creek Game Lands, which encompass more than 28,000 acres and connect to 17,000 acres of The Nature Conservancy’s Green Swamp Preserve, resulting in one of the largest conservation corridors in the state of North Carolina.
The Coastal Land Trust purchased the property managed by Campbell Global, a global investment manager focused on timberland based in Oregon, with offices in Wilmington, NC. Campbell Global manages extensive tracts of land in the region and has a commitment to sustainable forest management. “Working in collaboration to preserve unique landscape features along the Waccamaw River is aligned with our stewardship principles and Client objectives. We are pleased to complete another successful transaction with our partner, the Coastal Land Trust,” said John Gilleland, chairman and CEO of Campbell Global.
The Coastal Land Trust transferred approximately 1,000 acres of the property to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, as an addition to Columbus County Game Lands, for management as public game lands. The 1,000 acres now owned by the Commission will be managed through timber thinning, prescribed fire, and restoration of distinctive remnant forest types that will benefit many species of wildlife such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey, wood stork, and Swainson’s warbler. The waters of the Waccamaw and wetlands on this tract support many rare plant and animal species, including several fish, mussels, and snails endemic to the Waccamaw River system. The Coastal Land Trust will retain the remaining 2,000 acres for management as a nature preserve.
“We are excited about increasing opportunities for hunting, fishing, birding, and other outdoor recreational activities in a beautiful and unique part of North Carolina,” said Brian McRae, Land and Water Access Section Chief for the Commission. “I commend the Coastal Land Trust for the tremendous effort they put forth towards this acquisition, and we look forward to working with the Coastal Land Trust on other great conservation projects in the future.”
Completion of the Waccamaw River Partnership project required the support of a dozen leading conservation funds, agencies, and philanthropists, testifying to recognition of its nationally significant conservation values. “The Coastal Land Trust is grateful to all these grant-making agencies and funders,” said Ms. Allen, “for their investments in the wild and wonderful Waccamaw River.”
Beginning with funds from a 2012 judicial settlement of a Clean Water Act case brought by the U. S. Attorney against Freedman Farms, a corporate hog farm, the Coastal Land Trust eventually secured grants from a total of 12 different funders including the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act program (two grants), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (two grants, one through the North Carolina and Virginia River and Waters program, and one through Walmart’s Acres for America program), NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (a federal Coastal Wetlands Conservation program grant), Fred and Alice Stanback, NC Attorney General’s Environmental Enhancement Grant program, Open Space Institute, Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, The Conservation Alliance, and Merck Family Fund. The Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® was also instrumental in the project’s success by providing numerous letters of support.
“We are grateful for the support and interest of local and state leaders during the last two years, as the Coastal Land Trust carried out the work necessary to make this conservation project a reality,” said Ms. Allen. “We couldn’t be more pleased that it is completed at last.”
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About North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
Founded in 1992, the mission of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust is to enrich the coastal communities of North Carolina through conservation of natural areas and working lands, education, and the promotion of good land stewardship. The Coastal Land Trust has saved more than 72,000 acres of special places, and has offices in Wilmington, New Bern and Elizabeth City. www.CoastalLandTrust.org. The Coastal Land Trust previously purchased more than 1,200 acres along the Waccamaw and transferred 200 acres of this property to the state of North Carolina as an addition to Lake Waccamaw State Park.
About North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is the state government agency created by the General Assembly in 1947 to conserve and sustain the state’s fish and wildlife resources through research, scientific management, wise use, and public input. www.ncwildlife.org
About Campbell Global, LLC
Campbell Global, LLC is a global investment manager focused on timberland. They are widely recognized as an authority on both forest management and timberland investing. Based in Portland, Oregon, Campbell Global has more than three decades of experience in timberland management and value creation. A pioneer in the field, they have managed more than 5 million acres worldwide for pension funds, foundations and other institutional investors since inception. Campbell Global combines ingenuity, data-supported decision making and a passion for responsible investing, striving to deliver the best possible performance to clients.
About US Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act program
The North American Wetlands Conservation Act program provides matching grant to wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, bird watching, family farming, and cattle-ranching. www.fws.gov/birds/grants/north-american-wetland-conservation-act.php
About NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund
North Carolina’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund was established by the General Assembly in 1996 as a non-regulatory organization with a focus on protecting and restoring the State’s land and water resources. It awards grants to non-profit and governmental organizations to protect land for natural, historical and cultural benefit, limit encroachment on military installations, restore degraded streams, and develop and improve stormwater treatment technology. www.cwmtf.nc.gov
About NC Attorney General’s Environmental Enhancement Grant Fund
The Environmental Enhancement Grant Program (“EEG Program”) was created pursuant to agreement between the North Carolina Attorney General and Smithfield Foods and its subsidiaries. The intent of the EEG Program is to provide funding to projects that preserve, enhance and protect North Carolina’s environment and natural resources.
About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works with the public and private sectors to sustain, restore and enhance the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s largest private conservation grant-maker, supporting more than 16,500 projects and generating a total conservation impact of more than $4.8 billion. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.
About Enviva Forest Conservation Fund
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva Holdings, LP in December 2015 to permanently protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects in North Carolina and Virginia. http://envivaforestfund.org
About Open Space Institute
The Open Space Institute protects scenic, natural and historic landscapes to provide public enjoyment, conserve habitat and working lands, and sustain communities. This project was supported through OSI’s Resilient Landscapes Initiative, which is made possible with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Resilient Landscapes Initiative seeks to build capacity of land trusts working to respond to climate change. www.openspaceinstitute.org
About The Conservation Alliance
The mission of The Conservation Alliance is to engage businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places for their habitat and recreation values; its grant to the Waters of Waccamaw project was nominated by Nester Hosiery, Inc. www.conservationalliance.com
About Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER®
Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® is a program of Winyah Rivers Foundation, whose mission is to protect, preserve, monitor and revitalize the health of the lands and waters of the greater Winyah Bay watershed. www.winyahrivers.org
