Nature Heals - Winter 2018

AfTEr ThE STOrm

AN OpEN LETTEr

frOm KIm ELLImAN President and CEO of Open Space Institute (OSI)

OSI shares in the nation’s heartfelt concern for the communities in North and South Carolina impacted by Hurricane Florence.

As floodwaters recede and people trickle back to their homes, we are mindful of the long recovery that lies ahead. In particular, we are thinking about the communities in which we work — where we consider ourselves partners and neighbors.

I know it is difficult to think long-term at times like these, but the disturbing media images require us to consider how we, as a society, respond to these intensifying storms.

In the struggle against flooding and other severe weather exacerbated by a changing climate, landscape-level conservation remains a key ally in defending our communities and our infrastructure.

When kept unspoiled,

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Nature heals

BLOOmINg IN ThE AfTErmATh Of hurrICANE fLOrENCE

By Janice Allen, Coastal Land Trust Deputy Director

Our rosebush is blooming. This spot of natural beauty stands out like a beacon in our otherwise brown and beaten yard strewn with downed trees and soggy debris from our flooded home. This profusion of pink flowers helps lift my spirits. So many of us in Eastern North Carolina were impacted by large and in charge ol’ Flo who visited in mid-September, but we will get through this. We will recover from Hurricane Florence. A friend and kindred spirit recently sent me this wonderful quote to remind me to take time to appreciate nature even in this most difficult of times. Nature heals.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, spring after the winter. . .”

left devastation in its wake such as this damage at the Coastal Land Trust’s Gales Creek Preserve.

At the Coastal Land Trust, we are slowly assessing and cleaning up our nature preserves after the hurricane. Sadly, we lost some trees (i.e., many longleaf trees at our Gales Creek Preserve and old oaks at Everett Creek), but we understand there will be regrowth. We know storms are a disturbance that creates gaps in the forest or completely

resets natural succession over a larger area.

Some wildlife will benefit from storm-related changes to habitats, some won’t. The wetlands on many of our preserves (like our new 3,000acre Waccamaw Preserve which is 96% wetlands) were covered in many feet of water, but we know this is their

Rachel Carson

Nature Heals, continued on page

Hurricane Florence

IN mEmOry Of WILLIAm ChArLES “BILL”

Bill Stanback, businessman, scholar, gentleman, philanthropist and former mayor of Salisbury, died February 7, 2018 at age 95. Bill leaves behind a family to whom he was devoted, and a community made richer by his leadership of a host of organizations, including Kiwanis Club of Salisbury, First United Methodist Church of Salisbury, Livingstone College, Brevard College and Three Rivers Land Trust (formerly the Land Trust for Central NC). He was

BOArd Of dIrECTOrS

wetlands and forests act as natural sponges that trap and slowly release water. Vegetation can slow the speed of flood waters and distribute them over the floodplain, in the process lowering flood heights and reducing erosion.

When coupled with sustainable city planning, building codes, and other solutions, not only can land |protection safeguard homes and businesses, it can save our communities over the long term by minimizing the use of expensive dredges and levees.

We are hopeful that, with the deployment of long-term solutions coupled with landscape-level land conservation, future generations are better prepared for the unthinkable. But most important, to OSI’s friends and neighbors in the Carolinas, we wish you a safe and speedy recovery.

New York City Office (main) Open Space Institute 1350 Broadway, Suite 201 New York, New York 10018

STANBACK

awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine. Throughout his 95 years, he maintained his passion for so many things, most notably sailing, birds, hiking and a great love of the natural world and land conservation.

Bill, together with his wife Nancy, cared and supported dozens of conservation organizations, including the Coastal Land Trust. He became friend and mentor to many of us. He is truly missed.

Acres protected

72,834 or roughly the size of the City of durham, North Carolina

function to hold and slowly release stormwater (although not usually 30+inches of rain at a time!). Some beach eroded at our coastal preserves like Springer’s Point, but we know sands shift and islands roll back. Nature heals. We know that protecting our natural infrastructure— our forests, wetlands, beaches and park land—is more important than ever as we contemplate the likely increased intensity and frequency of future storms in Eastern North Carolina.

And we at the Coastal Land Trust want to continue to help our coastal communities be more resilient through our land conservation work. So, we are conserving larger, and/ or more strategic sites (many on our Top 40 List); we are protecting, and in some cases restoring, more wetlands; we are collaborating with others to leverage limited resources and produce greater land conservation dividends; and we are applying the latest climate resiliency science to our conservation planning efforts. Nature heals, but we can help, and at the same time, help ourselves.

Randy Beardsworth Wilmington, NC

Nancy J. Bray Grifton, NC

Sam Cook Raleigh, NC

John Fussell Morehead City, NC

Hannah McOwen Manteo, NC

Linda Murchison Wilmington, NC

Linda Pearsall Raleigh, NC

Robert Perry Raleigh, NC

Kris Pickler Davidson, NC Will Purvis Wilmington, NC

Cheryl Bradley Smith Pine Knoll Shores, NC

Lovay WallaceSingleton New Bern, NC

Robert Wells Kitty Hawk, NC George Wood Kill Devil Hills, NC

President Ann Cary Simpson Chapel Hill, NC

Vice President

Melanie Allen Durham, NC

Secretary and Vice President Hannah Holt Wilmington, NC

Treasurer

Maggie Ashburn Wilmington, NC

Board members serve three-year staggered terms and are elected each year by the membership during the annual meeting.

LEttEr, continued from page 1

NatUrE HEaLS continued from page 1

Nelson MacRae Receives Wildlife Conservation Award

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission presented the prestigious Thomas L. Quay Wildlife Diversity Award to Nelson MacRae during the Commission’s summer business meeting in Raleigh. MacRae, a dedicated conservationist, helped establish the Coastal Land Trust. He was on the Board of Directors for two terms and served as president.

The Commission presents the award annually to North Carolinians renown for wildlife diversity conservation in the state.

MacRae, a native and resident of Wilmington, led a voluntary wildlife conservation initiative among private landowners resulting in permanent conservation easements on 18,000 acres of exemplary wildlife habitat along Town Creek and the lower Cape Fear River, including the MacRae family’s Old Town, as well as other former rice plantations such as Clarendon, Goose Landing, Pleasant Oaks and Orton.

The benefits of protecting wildlife habitat were obvious to MacRae.

“Hunting and conservation go hand in hand. Wildlife management has been my passion for close to 50 years now, and I believe that landowners are really custodians of these special places and they should preserve and protect and pass on for future generations to enjoy,” MacRae said.

“The driving force for me has always been the convention that wildlife has the right to exist also and in order for it to thrive, these wild places must be preserved.”

MacRae developed an appreciation for wildlife resources as a youth while fishing, hunting, and spending time outdoors — interests that lent themselves to his professional life.

“I have worked for my family company, Oleander Company, for

over 40 years where part of my job was and still is managing our properties for wildlife habitat,” MacRae said. “I’m known for saying, ‘There ought to be a place for wildlife too.’”

Information for this article was provided by Jodie Owen, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

RSM Promotes Maggie Ashburn To Senior Manager

The Coastal Land Trust’s Board Treasurer Maggie Ashburn has been promoted to senior manager at RSM US LLP. Maggie is based in RSM’s Wilmington office.

In a press release published online by WilmingtonBiz.com in October, Maggie was praised by officials as being “instrumental in mentoring women in the profession.”

Maggie has more than 15 years of experience providing tax compliance and consulting services. Her areas of focus include taxation of real estate investors, homebuilders, land developers and manufacturers.

In her new position, Maggie will have tax consulting responsibility for the firm’s middle market clients, including how planning with tax reform, which “includes the most significant overhaul to the Internal Revenue Code in the last 30 years, provides tax reduction opportunities for businesses and their owners,” the release stated.

In addition to her volunteer work with the Coastal Land Trust, Maggie is a past treasurer of the Historic Wilmington Foundation and a graduate of the Wilmington Chamber’s Leadership Wilmington program.

Coastal Land Trust Executive Director Camilla Herlevich is shown with Nelson MacRae, the 2018 Thomas L. Quay Award Recipient.

New f aces at Coastal Land Trust

Laural Coffey Membership Coordinator

Laural was raised in Maryland, and spent a good portion of her childhood exploring the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay. She earned a B.A. in history from UNCW in 2014, and was hired by a state preservation organization shortly

Mellissa Dionesotes Stewardship Assistant

Mellissa moved from the Chicagoland area to Wilmington, NC in 2003 to follow her lifelong dream of living near the beach and studying marine biology. She received her BS in Marine Biology from UNC Wilmington in 2006 and began working for the university’s Center for Marine Science.

Lillie Reiter

AmeriCorps Service Member

Lillie Reiter is the AmeriCorps Service Member serving with the Coastal Land Trust in Wilmington NC as an Environmental Education and Volunteer Coordinator. She is originally from Asheville and graduated from Guilford College in Greensboro. Her passion for environmental education began studying abroad in the Turks and

Taylor Lackey Stewardship Intern

Taylor joined the Coastal Land Trust this fall to update stewardship files and work on a preserve management plan. She is a senior at UNC-Wilmington.

after graduation.

Laural’s areas of focus are fundraising, event planning, and data management. When she’s not busy at work, you will find her kayaking with her family in her backyard tidal creek, backpacking in western North Carolina, or creating culinary delights in her kitchen.

Her favorite Coastal Land Trust preserves are Springer’s Point and Abbey Nature Preserve.

In 2015, Mellissa found she had a passion for coastal conservation and went back to school. She received her MS in Environmental Science and Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from UNC Wilmington. She is excited to join the Coastal Land Trust as the Stewardship Assistant where she can help preserve the ecosystems unique to the North Carolina coast.

In her free time, Mellissa can be found paddling along the local waterways or working in her garden. She is a long time sea turtle volunteer and loves anything that has to do with the coast!

Caicos Islands teaching children about the ocean and marine biology. She has worked with a zoo, nature center, science center, land conservancy, and now a land trust! She joined AmeriCorps in 2017 to explore career options while serving the community.

As an AmeriCorps Service Member, her role will be to incorporate more environmental field trips into our school curriculum, engage the public in nature-based events, and help volunteers have fun while doing service.

When she’s not downtown with friends, she can be found at home, snuggled with her cat, and reading.

SAvINg ThE LANdS yOu LOvE AT ThE COAST

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.

Expanding Gales Creek Preserve is the first conservation project to meet the criteria of the Funds which were created this summer as a result of a $7.2 million settlement between N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Sierra Club over the State’s proposed

With the purchase of 37 additional acres to the Coastal Land Trust’s Brice’s Creek Preserve, the nature preserve will now total more than 60 acres in Craven County off Old Airport Road in New Bern.

“This nature preserve is located in a rapidly-developing part of Craven County,” said Janice Allen, Deputy Director of the Coastal Land Trust. “It offers a haven for wildlife, floodplain protection along the creek for the community, and beautiful stands of trees in a natural forest.”

The property includes a stretch of bottomland hardwoods along a tributary of Brice’s Creek, plus some mixed pine and hardwood forestland.

Funds for the purchase were provided by a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, together with private contributions.

70 Havelock Bypass through the National Forest.

This spectacular property features longleaf pine forests, valuable wetlands, and a half 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 by a portion of the new Croatan Protection Funds.

“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.

Croatan Protection Funds Benefit Gales Creek Preserve Nature Preserve Expanded, Protects Rapidly-Developing Area

U.S.

COASTAL vACATION rESOrTS hITS A hOmE ruN WITh “hOST Of ThE COAST”

For generations, families have been returning to Holden Beach and Oak Island to indulge in a slower pace of life, and both islands have held on to the traditions that make vacations the remarkable experiences that are cherished. Now, thanks to Coastal Vacation Resorts, the “Host of the Coast” donation program between the Coastal Land Trust and Coastal Vacation Resorts will provide an ongoing benefit for generations interested in protecting the coast.

Coastal Vacation Resorts has made substantial contributions to The Coastal Land Trust by participating in the recently revived Host of the Coast program. With offices in Holden Beach and Oak Island, Coastal Vacation Resorts has invested substantial effort to put the program back into action – and they’ve hit it out of the ballpark. During the past fiscal year (October 2017 –September 2018), they have donated more than $20,000 to the Coastal Land Trust!

Host of the Coast is a voluntary giving program in which inns, hotels and rental agencies partner with the Coastal Land Trust to help protect special places by the coast. Participating lodging establishments invite guests to add $1.00 to their nightly bill to the Coastal Land Trust. While guests have the option to opt-out, most see the benefit of participating and are happy to do so.

The cumulative effect of these small donations has been significant; the investment of time and creative energy to create the groundwork by team members of Coastal Vacation Resorts has allowed the program to be immediately successful. Their work has created a solid foundation for a legacy of donations to continue into the future, and the program is replicable for other lodging

SCrApBOOK

POLLINATOR ASSISTANCE PLAN

Fire in the Pines • Halyburton Park Wilmington • October 13, 2018

FESTIVAL

SPONSORS

establishments (ask us how!). Contact Director of Development Vann Pearsall (vann@ CoastalLandTrust.org) for more information about our Host of the Coast program and how you can help save more remarkable places along the Carolina coast.

visitors access the beach via a walkway from dunescape Community, holden Beach.

A young Fire in the Pines participant stops at the Coastal Land Trust’s Pollinator Booth. CLT volunteer Nolan Day is helping her plant flower seeds.

Camilla Herlevich and John Peterson meet at Fire in the Pines. John Peterson, of Relate Advocacy in Durham, represented event sponsors Moore Charitable Foundation and Orton Foundation.

p hoto Courtesy of Coastal v acation r esorts

SCrApBOOK

Coastal Land Trust events, field trips, and educational outings in our community showcase the joy of nature.

Flying

DESIGN AT THE CAM

Big Sky Design and the

Land

hosted an evening with Susy Paisley, conservation biologist turned international award-winning textile and wallpaper design. Her designs include accurate depictions of endangered and extinct species.

Each meter of fabric sold helps to conserve these species and wild habitats, like the Venus flytrap and other Carolinian carnivorous plants. Susy runs her company, Newton Paisley, from the UK. She has family ties in Wilmington. The Coastal Land Trust was the beneficiary of all proceeds from the event. Susy Paisley, second from right, and dad Eric Paisley, enjoy the evening with guests attending the event.

ACT LIKE A BEE

Kids learn how a bee pollinates a flower. The cotton ball (bee) is sprinkled with chalk (pollen) and the kids use the cotton balls to “pollinate” each of the flower petals.

HIKING FOR TREATS

Kids hike and play Trick or Treat along the trail. Answering environmental questions reaps a candy reward from the “trick or trailer,” volunteer Savannah.

Coastal

Trust

to Greenville • ILM Wilmington • October 8, 2018

Show Me Day • Everett Creek Preserve • Onslow County • October 27, 2018

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Executive Director Camilla Herlevich hitches a ride to Greenville in a Diamond aircraft 4-seater aircraft with Bobby Rippy (pilot) and Agnes Beane (co-pilot).

An Evening with Susy Paisley • Cameron Art Museum • Wilmington • October 24, 2018

Photo Courtesy of Sherri Robinson

Soundside Shindig • Pamlico Jack’s • Nag’s Head • October 6, 2018

Red Beans and Bluegrass • Wrightsville Beach Brewery • Wilmington • November 4, 2018

SOUNDSIDE SHINDIG ON THE OUTER BANKS

Left, Paul Stevenson and Nancy Rascoe; right, Dawn Enochs with Mike Kelly, owner of Pamlico Jack’s. Phil Evans, president of the First Colony Foundation, was at the Shindig to highlight discoveries at Site X in Bertie County, including artifacts thought to be from the Lost Colony.

SHOW YOUR MOVES music by masonboro Sound. It was fuN for all ages!

Maynard brings them to battle with cannons blazing.

last hours of Blackbeard and his crew as Lt. Robert

last battle at Ocracoke. Three ships re-create the

reenactment of the infamous pirate Blackbeard’s

a historically accurate pirate encampment and a

The Annual Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree features

memorial service.

was invaded by pirates to celebrate the 300th

The Coastal Land Trust’s Springer’s Point Preserve

Ocracoke, October 25-27, 2018

Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree

COAST P IRATES I NVADE S PRINGER ’ S P OINT

brings hope for the future.

Wilmington, North Carolina 28412 VOLUME 18 // ISSUE 4 // Winter 2018

U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 316 Wilmington, NC

TO Our pOST

SCrApBOOK Gales Creek Preserve at Camp Sam Hatcher Carteret County • November 1, 2018

HURRICANE FLORENCE CLEANUP HELP

3 Pine Valley Drive LINES www.CoastalLandTrust.org PAGE 10

Volunteers from NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund and Coastal Land Trust worked together to clean up Gales Creek Preserve after Hurricane Florence.

Pictured from left are: Justin Mercer, Steve Bevington, Lillie Reiter, Will Summer, Janice Allen, private consulting forester Tim Tabak, Nancy Guthrie, Mellissa Dionesotes and Coco.

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