and began a two-year lobbying effort to 

 save the woods. 



At the same time, the N.C. Sierra Club 

 asked the N.C. Coastal Resources Commis- 

 sion to designate the woods an area of 

 environmental concern. The AEC designa- 

 tion would have required special state 

 permits for development in the woods. 



Some areas, such as wetlands, estuarine 

 shorelines and coastal beaches, are auto- 

 matically designated AECs. Others must be 

 nominated and must meet certain criteria 

 to qualify. 



Opposition to Buxton Woods develop- 

 ment centered on concern for the water 

 supply. Critics feared development would 

 lead to contamination or depletion of the 

 freshwater aquifer that serves as Hatteras 

 Island's main source of drinking water. 



In lieu of the state's AEC designation, in 

 March the Dare County Board of Commis- 

 sioners passed its own zoning ordinance to 

 protect the area. 



Ray Sturza, Dare County planning direc- 

 tor, says the county's approach to the 

 preservation of the woods was much like 

 the state's proposed AEC designation. 



The commissioners recommended that 

 as much of the woods as possible be ac- 

 quired by the state for preservation. 



And they proposed that areas not ac- 

 quired be managed by the local govern- 

 ment through a special environmental 

 zoning district. 



The SED mandates a minimum lot size of 

 roughly one acre per house and restricts 

 the land to single-family residential use. It 

 also calls for regular monitoring of water 

 quality in the woods. 



The state AEC, on the other hand, would 

 have required lot sizes of nearly two acres. 



Owens says the Coastal Resources Com- 

 mission was satisfied that the county's plan 

 would provide adequate protection for the 

 woods. 



If the commission feels the county isn't 

 enforcing its ordinance, it reserves the right 

 to resurrect the AEC proposal. But even 

 with the SED, Owens says the ultimate pro- 

 tection for Buxton Woods and other mari- 

 time forests is state acquisition. After all, 

 zoning ordinances can be changed, and 

 such decisions are always political, he says. 



So, even though Dare County now con- 

 trols development in the woods, Owens 

 continues to negotiate with landowners to 

 purchase parcels for the state. 



So far, he's bought 328 acres. 



The land will be included in the state's 

 Coastal Reserve Program. It will be kept in 

 its natural state for research and education, 

 Owens says. 



Without ownership of large chunks of the 

 forest, the state is in danger of losing its 

 maritime forests before it knows much 

 about them, Owens says. 



To learn more about the forests, Coastal 

 Management funded a survey of all mari- 

 time forests larger than 20 acres. Jonathan 

 Evans, the principal investigator and a 

 researcher at Duke University Marine Lab- 

 oratory, says he'll recommend the state con- 

 serve as much of the remaining maritime 

 forests as possible. Evans would like to see 

 all maritime forests designated as AECs so 

 that the state would have some control over 

 development in the areas. 



"To have the communities disappear be- 

 fore we've had time to study them would be 

 rather sad," Evans says. 



Owens agrees. As he surveys an aerial 

 photograph of Buxton Woods, he proudly 

 points to the parcel of land recently ac- 

 quired by the state. 



' 'We now own the area where the golf 

 course was proposed," he says. 



And even though Buxton Woods is zoned 

 for low-density development, it still disturbs 

 Owens. "At what point does the develop- 

 ment become houses in the woods or a 

 subdivision with trees?" he asks. 



JONATHAN EVANS 



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