This December, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust transferred its 172-acre Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve in New Bern to Craven County. This beautiful, forested property along Brice’s Creek, located off County Line Road and Old Airport Road, is slated to become a new public nature park! “I think this gift of land from Coastal Land Trust is quite a Christmas present to the citizens of Craven County,” stated Janice Allen, Director of Land Protection. “Coastal Land Trust did what it does best and that is to conserve special parcels of land. Now Craven County Parks and Recreation is going to do what it does best and create a wonderful new public park on this special land.” The NC Coastal Land Trust purchased the land in three phases using more than $1.5M in funding from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, White River Marine Group, and North Carolina Community Foundation’s Richard Chapman Cleve Fund held by the Craven County Community Foundation.

Billy Wilkes, Director of Craven County Parks and Recreation, is ecstatic about the new nature park, “There is considerable local interest in opening up this park, and we are already on it. We received a $500,000 grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to carry out our park plan and develop necessary infrastructure like a parking area, restroom, and trails. Construction can now begin in early 2024. Our plan is to have the park open to the public by spring of 2025. Stay tuned for news on park planning,” stated Wilkes.

Each of the three portions of the 172-acre river front property, which was once slated as a future development phase of the Carolina Colours golf and residential subdivision, was purchased at less than fair market value by the Coastal Land Trust. “We greatly appreciate the willingness and generosity of Ken Kirkman of Overlook Holdings, LLC to sell these parcels of land to the Coastal Land Trust below market value especially given the location of the property in a rapidly developing section of New Bern,” stated Janice Allen. The Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve hosts a mature mixed pine-hardwood forest in the uplands and a diversity of wetlands, including bottomland hardwoods, cypress-gum swamp, and non-riverine wet hardwood forest, along more than 1.5 miles of Brice’s Creek and an unnamed tributary.

The Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve property will be Craven County’s second nature park with the first being the Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park established in 2008 when North Carolina Coastal Land Trust purchased 133 acres of land along Upper Broad Creek and then transferred it to the County for use as a public park.

“The Coastal Land Trust has heard the clarion call for more public outdoor spaces to enjoy nature—and we are responding,” said Janice Allen. “We especially thank all the funders for grants provided for land acquisition and park infrastructure, and we are proud to partner again with Craven County. The County has done an amazing job with the Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park and we know they will create an equally impressive park on this newly acquired land along Brice’s Creek.”

Learn more about Craven County Parks and Recreation:
Craven County Parks and Recreation owns and manages 4 parks in Craven County; Creekside Park (111-acres); West Craven Park (90 acres), Rock Run Park (5 acres) and Latham-Whitehurst Park (132 acres). Creekside, West Craven and Rocky Run Parks offer various amenities including athletic fields, playgrounds, shelters, and/or gazebos. Creekside Park has frontage along Brice’s Creek and has paved trails and boat access. The Latham-Whitehurst Park is a nature park with trails, picnic shelters, boardwalk and canoe/kayak access. Click here to view a map of park locations and visit their website here.