TLC purchases 86-acre Williams tract in Chatham County

Posted Friday, June 8, 2007

 E-mail this page    Printer-friendly page

Pittsboro, NC – Triangle Land Conservancy has purchased an 86-acre tract on River Forks Road in Chatham County, just south of Pittsboro. The property is located approximately a quarter-mile from TLC’s flagship preserve, White Pines, and contains the headwaters of a tributary of the Deep River.

The Deep River is one of Triangle Land Conservancy’s (TLC) priority areas. This nationally significant river provides drinking water for Chatham and Lee counties and is home to many rare and endangered fish and mussel species.

TLC, a local land trust serving Chatham, Lee, Orange, Durham, Wake and Johnston counties, purchased the property from Mr. Josie Williams of Sanford for $318,000. Mr. Williams had used the property for forestry, clearing the timber in 2003.

TLC made the purchase with money from its Land Opportunity Fund, a pool of money that allows the organization to respond quickly when critical conservation lands become available.

“TLC is exploring various conservation options for the future management of this property, including possibly adding it to White Pines Preserve,” said Kevin Brice, President & CEO of TLC. “We are negotiating with neighboring landowners to conserve other nearby properties and enlarge the forestland reservoir around White Pines Preserve that is so critical for wildlife and water quality.”

Located at the convergence of the Deep and Rocky rivers, White Pines Preserve is a nationally significant natural area that is home to the only stand of white pines in the Piedmont region. TLC has been working to protect land in the area since the mid-1980s, gradually adding tracts to the 276-acre preserve. The Preserve is open to the public for hiking and nature study and offers approximately four miles of trails.

White pines are common in the North Carolina mountains and foothills, but the nearest kin to the Chatham County stand reside about 75 miles away near Hanging Rock in Stokes County.

Since 1983, TLC has helped to conserve 3,797 acres in Chatham County. These projects include conservation agreements with five owners of farmland and forestland conserving 956 acres; ownership of 826 acres on seven properties; and conservation partnerships on projects that have conserved 2,014 acres.

Triangle Land Conservancy is a private, nonprofit group that conserves important open space—stream corridors, forests, wildlife habitat, farmland and natural areas—to help keep our region a healthy and vibrant place to live and work. TLC’s 67 protected sites in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Johnston, and Lee counties encompass more than 9,586 acres, including several preserves open to visitors year-round. TLC is primarily funded by individual contributions and memberships, plus grants from foundations, state government and corporations.