Coastal Land Trust is a Godsend to our Area
Black bears don’t know when they’ve crossed from Virginia to North Carolina—they just know there’s a wildlife corridor of forested land where they can roam freely.
In December of 2016, the Coastal Land Trust purchased a 950-acre tract on the Chowan River Tract in Gates County, situated between 30,000-acres of the Chowan Swamp Game Lands owned by the State of North Carolina and 3,100-acres of the South Quay Nature Preserve owned by Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Thus, this acquisition linked conservation lands between two states in a vast green corridor along the Chowan River.
The property was transferred to the state of North Carolina, managed by the Wildlife Resources Commission to benefit its diverse wildlife from black bear and bobcat to barred owl and bobwhite quail.
By adding this valuable property to the Chowan Swamp Game Lands, hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers, and others can enjoy it for generations to come. The property was sold by its owner, International Paper Company, to the Coastal Land Trust for a price considerably less than its market value. The Coastal Land Trust raised a majority of the necessary acquisition funds, negotiated and closed the deal on Dec. 16, 2016.
In addition to providing habitat for wildlife, this 950-acre property hosts over seven miles of forested land along the Chowan River and Somerton Creek, over 430 acres of wetlands, and a significant natural heritage area, the Wyanoke Sandhills, a longleaf pine-scrub oak forest along an ancient dune ridge.
This is just one local example of the work of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.
In 2017, they purchased nearly 1,000 acres near the confluence of Salmon Creek and the Albemarle Sound in eastern Bertie County. This is near an area where archaeologists uncovered artifacts thought to be connected to the 400-year mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. It is also adjacent to Bertie Beach, an area along the Albemarle Sound purchased and developed by Bertie County local government as a public access to the waterway.
Ownership of the parcel purchased by the NCCLT was transferred to the state of North Carolina to be used as a state natural area. It is now known as the Salmon Creek State Natural Area. It borders the creek for 3.5 miles and includes 400 acres of mature cypress-gum swamp and bottomland hardwood. A state natural area is similar to a state park, but does not have the same amenities such as campsites. It's more of a protected nature area, but one that's still open and used by the public.
The state Conservation Fund extended a $5,000,000 loan to purchase that property. The Coastal Land Trust sought assistance to help raise funds to repay the loan. That assistance came from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Attorney General's Environmental Enhancement Grant Fund, N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
In 2020, the NCCLT purchased almost 300 additional acres, known as the Bal Gra Harbor tract south of US 17, along the river. That property was immediately transferred to the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation as part of a much broader, larger land preservation effort.
Four years ago, the NCCLT made another local investment, purchasing 766 acres in Bertie and Hertford counties, near the Town of Colerain. With three miles along the Chowan River and more than seven miles of Keel Creek, this expansive forest will help store floodwaters and reduce flooding, enhance water quality, and protect habitat for fish and wildlife.
This protected area contains the heart of Cow Island Swamp, a site identified as "ecologically significant" by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. This designation is due to the age and expanse of the mature bald cypress and tupelo gum forest, with many trees more than 100 years old. The Chowan River itself has been classified as a highly ecologically significant aquatic site due to the presence of several rare fish, mollusk, and crayfish species.
It is also an important nursery area for anadromous fish such as striped bass, American and hickory shad, and possibly Shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon (federally endangered species).
It is equally important for birds such as Osprey, Bald Eagle, Wood Duck, Barred Owl, Prothonotary Warbler, and Swainson's Warbler. The forested wetlands along the Chowan River from Colerain to Parkers Ferry, including this tract, have been identified as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.
In July of 2023, the NCCLT protected a new state natural heritage area with the purchase of 16.86 acres along the Chowan River south of Colerain near Point Comfort.
This property is a prominent landmark on the Chowan River, rising approximately 85-90 feet above the water below. These bluffs are believed to be the highest point directly above sea level in the North Carolina coastal region. The bluffs are part of the Wicomico Terrace, an old ocean shoreline dating as far back as the Pleistocene era which ended about 12,000 years ago. Layers of clay, sand, quartz, ironstone, limestone, and marine fossils have been deposited over time creating visible layers of color and texture on the east-facing bluff.
In January of last year, the NCCLT completed the purchase of the historic 313.66-acre Hoggard's Millpond property in Bertie County. Located near the Town of Windsor, the property extends northward from the intersection of Greens Cross and Hoggard's Mill roads and features 2.2 miles of frontage along each side of Hoggard's Mill Run.
After finalizing the purchase, ownership of the property was transferred to the Town of Windsor, which plans to create and manage a public nature and historic park on the property. The town plans to develop park amenities within a designated 27.78-acre portion of the property, with the remaining 285.88 acres preserved under conservation restrictions held by the State of North Carolina to permanently protect the property's natural, historic, and cultural features.
The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust continues to be at the forefront of preserving the beauty and the rich history of our coastal communities. Since 1992, they have saved nearly 90,000 acres and are to be commended for their efforts. To learn more about NCCLT, visit CoastalLandTrust.org.
Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-ccnews.com.
Contributing to Cal Bryant’s remarkable depiction of the organization’s conservation work throughout the northeast region of North Carolina, the Coastal Land Trust also protected the 577-acre Meherrin River Preserve located in northern Northampton County, NC (map). In partnership with the Virginia chapter of The Nature Conservancy, this project was completed in two phases which took place in 2012 and 2016. The preserve features a stunning old-growth hardwood forest composed of mature cypress, tupelo, oak, and maple trees along more than one and a half miles of the Meherrin River and is considered both a State Significant Natural Heritage Site and a Regionally Significant Aquatic Site.
The Coastal Land Trust is grateful to Cal Bryant for taking the time to showcase the impact of the organization's conservation work and partnerships in the northeast region of North Carolina.
