c 



ometimes, in the stillness of the Croatan National Forest, the quiet drumming of 

 a red-cockaded woodpecker can be heard. 



Nesting cavities high in selected longleaf pines indicate the presence of a resident group 

 of the endangered bird — found only in scattered longleaf pine savannas in the Southeast 

 This day no rare bird reveals itself by sound or sight. 



Even on a slow birding day, nature lovers can spot an array of rare or endangered flora, 

 such as the Venus fly trap, says John Fussell, naturalist and environmental consultant from 

 Morehead City. 



Fussell leads the way just past a fire line at the southern edge of the national forest to 

 his destination: the 841 -acre Pettiford Creek Tract. This is "ecologically significant land with 

 multiple conservation values" for this central coastal area, he explains. 



Its acquisition, negotiated by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust (NCCLT), was 

 completed in 2004. Until then, the undeveloped Pettiford Creek Tract was eyed for its 

 significant real estate value. 



Pettiford Creek, a tributary of the White Oak River, ripples along the site's 2.4-mile 

 waterfront The mature longleaf pines, wetlands, streams and sandy upland bluffs might have 

 become the backdrop for an upscale development 



Instead, the tract now is part of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's (WRC) public 

 game lands program that will reap priceless benefits for the environment and the public, 

 Fussell says. 



The intact land continues to support endangered and rare flora and fauna. And, 

 officials from WRC and the N.C. Division of Forest Services are designing a prescribed burn 

 program to extend conservation benefits seamlessly across state and federal forest boundaries. 



Moreover, the land buffers a portion of Pettiford Creek that remains open for shellfish 

 harvesting. Conservation groups are attempting to enhance aquatic hab- 

 itat by protecting connected buffers along streams, rivers and estuaries. 



To keep the Pettiford Creek Tract as nature designed it, Camilla 

 Herlevich, NCCLT executive director, led efforts to cobble together $4.7 

 million in grants — from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund 

 (CWMTF), the N.C. Heritage Trust Fund (HTF) and the Federal Forest 

 Legacy Program — to secure the deal from private landowners. At one 

 point, The Nature Conservancy (TNQ pitched in with a $600,000 loan 

 to keep the deal on target during the two-and-half year process. 



Thanks to the successful private/public/nonprofit collaborative 

 model, the Pettiford Creek Tract also is part of the million-acre tally of 

 protected open space. 



"Land trusts and conservation groups are critically important to 

 'One North Carolina Naturally,'" says Fussell. 



AN EVOLUTIONARY IDEA 



"One North Carolina Naturally" evolved 

 from the N.C. General Assembly's mandate in 

 2000 to permanently protect a million acres of 

 farmland, open space and other conservation 

 lands by the end of 2009 — 10 years after then- 

 Gov. James B. Hunt issued the conservation 

 challenge. His "Million Acre Initiative" directed 

 the Secretary of the N.C. Department of 

 Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 

 to oversee the formidable mission. 



In 2002, DENR Secretary William Ross 

 upped the ante — announcing the "One North 

 Carolina Naturally" plan to promote and 

 coordinate long-term programs and strategies to 

 protect land and water resources. 



His expanded vision also recognizes 

 the need for conservation strategies for 

 private lands. Options include working with 

 landowners to establish conservation easements 

 on environmentally sensitive tracts. 



Ross sees opportunity, as well as urgency, 

 as farms and forests are converted to real estate. 

 In 2005, for example, International Paper 

 announced plans to sell 639,000 acres in North 

 Carolina. 



THIS PACE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: John Fussell enjoys the rare 

 (bra and fauna in Croatan National Forest and adjacent Pettiford Creek 

 Tract. • The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker is found only in 

 equally rare longleaf pine savannas in the Southeast. • The Pettiford 

 Creek tract protects an important tributary of the White Oak River. • 

 U.S. Forest Service scientists mark nesting cavity trees in the Croatan 

 National Forest. OPPOSITE PACE: The North Carolina Nature 

 Conservancy staff members gather at die base of a 2,600-year old tree 

 in the Roanoke River Swamp. 



8 



Coastwatch I Spring 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 



