Croatan Protection Funds Benefits Gales Creek Preserve
Expanding Gales Creek Preserve is the first conservation project to meet the criteria of the Fund which was created this summer as a result of a $7 million settlement between N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Sierra Club over the State’s proposed U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass through the National Forest.
The Coastal Land Trust has added 113 acres to their Gales Creek Nature Preserve adjacent to the Croatan National Forest in Carteret County. This increases the preserve to more than 367 acres that protect wildlife habitat, preserve water quality, and support local environmental education programs.
This spectacular property features longleaf pine forests, valuable wetlands, and ½ mile of frontage along Gales Creek, a scenic tidal creek that empties into Bogue Sound near Newport. The purchase was funded by a generous grant from Fred and Alice Stanback and with reserves from our new Croatan Protection Fund.
“We are thrilled that the Coastal Land Trust is carrying out the objectives of the settlement fund–to conserve longleaf pine forest and habitat for rare plant and animal species in and around the Croatan National Forest,” said Cassie Gavin, Sierra Club’s Director of Government Relations, in Raleigh, NC.
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