B.W. Wells Savannah

This 177-acre Preserve, located in Pender County, was purchased in two phases. The 1st phase (117 acres) was purchased in 2002 and an additonal 60 acres was added in 2009. The initial purchase was the result of the Coastal Land Trust’s first capital campaign. The Coastal Land Trust dedicated the site to Dr. Bertram W. Wells, the late pioneer ecologist from NCSU and author of “The Natural Gardens of North Carolina” because of his research contributions associated with the now extirpated Big Savannah located a few miles south of the preserve. The B.W. Wells Savannah is sometimes referred to as the Ghost of Big Savannah.

The Coastal Land Trust has restored much of the rare savannah habitat and has implemented a careful timbering (thinning) and prescribed burn program with grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the N.C. Wildflower Preservation Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Opening up the ground to sunlight awakens native seeds that have lain dormant underneath larger shrubs and trees, and beautiful meadows emerge. In fact, these savannahs support a profusion of more than 200 documented species of wildflowers including orchids, carnivorous plants, and some rarities.

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