Creating a New Nature Park - Spring 2024

JANICE ALLEN SHARES PLANS FOR HER 2024 RETIREMENT

Twenty-six years of dedicated work is no small feat. Since 1997, Janice Allen, Director of Land Protection, has been a driving force behind the Coastal Land Trust’s mission to safeguard priority natural, scenic, and historic areas along the coastal plain of North Carolina. Under her leadership, the land protection team has achieved remarkable milestones, permanently preserving tens of thousands of acres up and down the NC Coast. Janice’s legacy is etched in the success of transformative projects, such as:

1. More than 4,700 acres protected along the Waccamaw River in Columbus County. This project boasts 10 miles of riverfront, the expansion of Lake Waccamaw State Park, and more than 1,000 acres added to existing game lands.

ALLEN, continued on page 4

CREATING A NEW NATURE PARK

The Coastal Land Trust officially transferred our 172-acre Brice’s Creek Nature Preserve in New Bern to Craven County in December. This marked the beginning of a transformative project set to enhance public access to nature in the rapidly developing area south of New Bern.

The preserve boasts a mature mixed pine-hardwood forest in the uplands and a diverse range of wetlands, making it a valuable addition to Craven County’s natural treasures. The property, once slated for future development, was acquired at less than fair market value by the Coastal Land Trust, showcasing the generosity of Ken Kirkman of Overlook Holdings, LLC. The three-phase acquisition, totaling more than $1.5M, was made possible through funding from various sources including the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, White River Marine Group, and North Carolina Community Foundation’s Richard Chapman Cleve Fund held by the Craven

County Community Foundation.

Janice Allen, Director of Land Protection, expressed her excitement stating, “I think this gift of land from Coastal Land Trust is quite a present to the citizens of Craven County. Coastal Land Trust did what it does best – conserve special parcels of land. Now Craven County Recreation and Parks is going to do what it does best and create a wonderful new public park on this special land.”

With construction beginning this year, Brice’s Creek Nature Park is poised to emerge as a beacon of natural beauty, providing a serene escape for locals and visitors alike. Billy Wilkes, Director of Craven County Recreation and Parks, is thrilled about the prospects of the new nature park, expressing, “There is considerable local interest in opening this park, and we are already on it. We received a $500,000 grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund to

A relaxing creek view at Craven County’s next public nature park.

Janice in her element! The new Director of Land Protection will have some big boots to fill.

BRICE’S CREEK, continued on page 2

MARY

MAIN

Wilmington, NC 28412 (910) 790-4524

HARRISON MARKS

JESICA C. BLAKE

2090 maryann@CoastalLandTrust.org

MELLISSA DIONESOTES Land and Stewardship Manager ext. 2300 mellissa@CoastalLandTrust.org

SYDNEY GARDNER Office and Events Manager ext. 2080 sydney@CoastalLandTrust.org

KENNETH J. LINGERFELT GIS Specialist / Stewardship Associate ext. 2070 kenneth@CoastalLandTrust.org

JORDAN PILCHER Environmental Education Coordinator Resilience Corps NC Member resilience@coastallandtrust.org

BRYCE THOLEN

Environmental Education Coordinator and Stewardship Assistant ext. 2020 bryce@CoastalLandTrust.org

ERIC VREELAND

Director of Strategic Advancement ext. 2100 eric@CoastalLandTrust.org

LAUREN WAIBEL Stewardship and Volunteer Coordinator Resilience Corps NC Member stewardship@coastallandtrust.org

LAURA WILSON Development Officer ext. 2010 laura@CoastalLandTrust.org

MIDCOAST OFFICE

JANICE L. ALLEN

Director of Land Protection (910) 790-4524 x2040 janice@CoastalLandTrust.org

NORTHEAST OFFICE

LEE L. LEIDY

Northeast Region Director Attorney at Law 410 E. Main St., Ste. 204 Elizabeth City, NC 27909 (252) 335-9495 lee@CoastalLandTrust.org

ADDITIONAL CONTACT

LENA AUSTIN O’NEAL Springer’s Point Preserve Steward Lena.ONeal@nccat.org

Ayluonne Tereszkiewicz Community Conservation Intern

The Coastal Land Trust is thrilled to have Ayluonne Tereszkiewicz join the Coastal Land Trust staff as a conservation intern for several months beginning in December of 2023. Ayluonne is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University studying Environmental and Historical Anthropology. Her paternal family traces its roots to Bertie County, creating a passion to meaningfully engage with the communities and landscapes of the North Carolina coastal plain. Ayluonne identified the Coastal Land Trust as an

BRICE’S CREEK, continued from page 1

carry out our park plan and develop necessary infrastructure like a parking area, restroom, and trails. Our plan is to have the park open to the public by spring of 2025. Stay tuned for news on park planning.”

This project is a significant win for Craven County, as the Brice’s Creek Nature Park will become the county’s second nature park. The Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park, established in 2008, was also made possible by the work of the Coastal Land Trust. We’re proud to respond to the community’s call for more public

NEW FACES

organization making a difference and contacted Jesica to see if she could help. The answer was a resounding yes!

Ayluonne comes to us with eight years of experience in community-based non-profits, having provided research and programmatic support to initiatives ranging from community redevelop-

ment and cultural preservation to public education and climate resiliency. Based in the Wilmington office, she is supporting the project that will transfer a portion of old industrial land to the Town of Navassa that will include a new cultural heritage center and nature park. She will also provide grant writing and stewardship support for the restoration of Reaves Chapel in partnership with the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation.

The Coastal Land Trust is very grateful to have Ayluonne’s experience and skills to support these crucial projects that will benefit the people of Navassa and all the visitors to the area.

Ayluonne can be reached at Ayluonne@coastallandtrust.org!

outdoor spaces and is confident in Craven County’s

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Hal Kitchin Wilmington, NC

Lorrie Basnight, Greenville, NC

Bernest Hewett Bolivia, NC

Ken Hines Wilmington, NC

Hannah Holt Wilmington, NC

Vice President

Merrie Jo Alcoke New Bern, NC

Laurie McComas King Wilmington, NC

Yoshi Newman, Ph.D. Greenville, NC

Chad Pearson Wilmington, NC

ability to create another impressive park.

Vice President and Secretary

Bob Emory New Bern, NC

Dr. Stan Riggs Greenville, NC

Brian Rubino

Kitty Hawk, NC

Ann Cary Simpson Chapel Hill, NC

Treasurer

Nick Parker Wilmington, NC

Mary Tillery Chapel Hill, NC

Pam Watkins Wilmington, NC

Robert Wells

Kitty Hawk, NC

Janice Allen and Billy Wilkes, Director of Craven County Recreation & Parks, discuss making Brice’s Creek Preserve a public nature park.

THIS PLACE IS HEAVEN ON EARTH

Everett Creek Preserve successfully opens for monthly hiking

The Coastal Land Trust is excited to announce that the public open hiking days at our Everett Creek Preserve will continue! Since October, the Preserve has been open one day a month. So far, 115 visitors have come out to explore the trails.

We use surveys to help guide how we can serve the communities we work in. Feedback from visitors to Everett Creek Preserve has been overwhelmingly positive. When asked “What should we do differently at Everett Creek Preserve?”, guests responded: “The access is great. If it could be open more often and provide some type of conservation education for kids and adults...”, “...this was a wonderful experience! Beautiful trails, and everyone was incredibly friendly,” and “nothing, it’s perfect.”

We are pleased to see people having the opportunity to get outside and look forward to welcoming more of our neighbors and friends to this special place in the months to come. 2023 was “the Year of the Trail” in North Carolina, and as we hike our way into 2024, the Coastal Land Trust is hoping to build on the excitement by offering more opportunities to get out to some of our beautiful conservation lands—like Everett Creek Preserve and Springer’s Point Preserve. We also hope to grow our volunteer base to maintain existing trials and build new trail segments at some of our preserves throughout eastern NC.

We hope to see you out on a trail in 2024, and we’d love for you to join us at Everett Creek Preserve in Sneads Ferry on the 3rd Saturday of each month for self-guided exploration and enjoyment.

NATURE

Hikers loved their time exploring Everett Creek Preserve and look forward to more hiking days in the future.

Photo credit: Adrienne Clemins

ALLEN continued from page 1

2. Saving nearly 1,000 acres along the Chowan River that include Site X, the location where some of the members of the Lost Colony are believed to have gone for an undetermined period of time. This property became part of the Salmon Creek State Natural Area in Bertie County.

3. The protection of 5,400-acres along over 16 miles of Salters Creek and Long Bay and connecting to the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge in Carteret County. Over 5,100acres were transferred to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to become game lands and the remaining 300 acres were retained by Coastal Land Trust as a preserve. Janice is highly respected in the land trust community and has received numerous honors for her work including one of our state’s most prestigious awards, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. She received the Eastern Carolina Council’s Joseph O. Himbry, Jr. Regional Leadership Award in 2011 for her encroachment partnership work with the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point helping to protect over 12,000 acres of land with conservation and military value around the main base in Havelock and outlying landing fields in Jones and Carteret Counties.

Though bidding farewell to such a dedicated leader is bittersweet, we are fortunate that Janice is not leaving us just yet. She has transitioned into a part-time role and plans to stay with the Coastal Land Trust until late 2024 and pass on her extensive knowledge to our next Director of Land Protection. We extend our deepest gratitude to Janice for her outstanding contributions, and while we will miss her daily presence, we look forward to cherishing the remaining time we have with this exceptional conservation champion.

SUPPORTING COASTAL CONSERVATION THROUGH LOCAL ART

Looking to add something beautiful to your home and support the Coastal Land Trust at the same time?

Janette Hopper, Wilmington-based artist and longtime friend of the Coastal Land Trust, will donate all the proceeds from the sale of select oil paintings to support conservation work in coastal NC. These paintings include:

• A Marsh – 32 X 36 inches

• Springer’s Point –15 X 30 inches

• Pine Savannah Spring – 30 X 48 inches

See all three paintings and learn more about the artist at janettekhopper.com

Linda Murchison, Janice Allen, and Linda Pearsall gather on Hutaff Island to admire this pristine, protected wonderland that NCCLT conserved in 2021.

COASTAL LAND TRUST 2023 PRESERVATION RECAP

NEWPORT RIVER –WEYERHAEUSER PHASE I

TYPE: PURCHASE

ACRES: 1,436.9

COUNTY: CARTERET

Just north of Morehead City, this property features a mix of pine timberland, bottomland hardwoods, and estuarine marsh with four miles of frontage along Newport River and Little Creek Swamp.

BAY RIVER – BATE

TYPE: PURCHASE & TRANSFER

ACRES: 402.57

COUNTY: PAMLICO

A beautiful property with more than four miles of frontage along the Bay River and Smith and Newton Creeks. It was transferred to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and added to the Goose Creek Game Land.

CHOWAN RIVER BLUFFS

PRESERVE

TYPE: PURCHASE

ACRES: 17.72

COUNTY: BERTIE

A new state natural heritage area featuring 90-foot bluffs overlooking the Chowan River and a unique ecosystem of white oak, American beech, and holly rarely found on the North Carolina coast.

MORGAN SWAMP PHASE III

TYPE: CONSERVATION

EASEMENT

ACRES: 70.8

COUNTY: CRAVEN

A donated conservation easement along a tributary of Upper Broad Creek. This easement completes the protection of a riparian buffer on both sides of Morgan Swamp.

TRENT RIVER –OAK GROVE

TYPE: PURCHASE

ACRES: 402.57

COUNTY: JONES

Active farmland along the Trent River and adjacent to a Marine Corps landing field. With river access and extensive road frontage, this property was at great risk of residential development.

BRICE’S CREEK PRESERVE

TYPE: TRANSFER

ACRES: 172.61

COUNTY: CRAVEN

An exciting project that was years in the making, NCCLT successfully transferred the Brice’s Creek Preserve to Craven County to be managed as a nature park.

Photo credit: Tom Earnhardt

Photo credit: Scott Pohlman

COASTAL LAND TRUST 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

4,870 PEOPLE SERVED

490 PLANTS

870

FOR

21st

23

5,855

2,283

3,799

VOLUNTEERS

762 VOLUNTEER HOURS $23,683 THE VALUE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS’ HARD WORK

442 VOLUNTEERS

15 VOLUNTEER EVENTS

4 COUNTIES

EVENT ATTENDEES

95 ANNUAL CELEBRATION AND LAWN PARTY

86 PARTY FOR THE POINT

54 MID-COAST 30th CELEBRATION AT TRYON PALACE

68 “CHEERS FOR 30 YEARS” EDENTON PARTY

51

SUPPORTERS

745 INDIVIDUAL DONORS (<$1,000+)

198 TIDEWATER LEVEL ($1,000+ CUMULATIVE)

95

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

The31st year of the Coastal Land Trust proved to be one of our most successful, protecting another 2,334 acres forever. On behalf of the Coastal Land Trust Board and Staff, thank you for supporting these efforts to preserve important lands along the North Carolina coast.

Thanks to your generosity, the Coastal Land Trust had a very good year financially and the organization remains on strong footing to continue our mission. Our annual audit is not finalized as of the time this newsletter goes to print, but we are confident the preliminary financial results depicted here fairly represent the results of our last fiscal year which ended September 30, 2023.

Protecting land, whether through purchase or donation of property or conservation easements, remains our purpose for being, and this newsletter highlights our projects completed during 2023. The life cycle of land projects is long, sometimes spanning several years, and each project is special in its own way. We are very excited about projects that are nearing completion, and several new projects just getting underway now!

We hope to see you at a volunteer activity on one of our properties or at an event during 2024 to celebrate the lands we love!

Gratefully,

Hal Kitchin President, Coastal Land Trust Board of Directors

FINANCIAL SUMMARY FISCAL YEAR 2023

OCTOBER 1, 2022 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

PRELIMINARY AND APPROXIMATE RESULTS

The Finance Committee of the Coastal Land Trust meets regularly to review the financial health of the organization. Together with the staff and the Board of Directors, they ensure the vast majority of funds raised are directed to our core missions of land protection, land stewardship, and environmental education. Details for the most recent fiscal year are below (figures unaudited).

Land Protection $4,198,880

and Environmental Education $497,693

NATURE TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: B. Southeastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) has several possible color phases from gray, red, black or a combination of these colors. The Southeastern fox squirrel, the largest native species of tree squirrel in North America, is found in mature longleaf pine

forests and open pine-oak forests in the Southeast. It eats the seeds of longleaf pinecones along with a variety of acorns, nuts, fruits, and fungi. Interestingly, only the fox squirrel has the size and strength to remove the seeds from the larger, green longleaf pinecones!

from page 3o

Photo courtesy of Tim Tabak. Taken at Weyerhaeuser Company’s Cool Springs Environmental Education Center in Craven County.

FUNDING PARTNERS

THE SAXER FAMILY FOUNDATION

CEDAR HILL WEST BANK HERITAGE FOUNDATION

EDDIE AND JO ALLISON SMITH FAMILY FOUNDATION, INC.

LAND ROVER CAPE FEAR

CAPE FEAR SECURITIES

• Armstrong World Industries, Inc

• Balding Design and Build

• Bug-N-A-Rug Exterminators

• Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall

• Carol Sue Blueberry Farm

• Cheerwine

• The Country Club of Landfall

POINT CLAN, LLC

• Craven Physical Therapy and Spine, Inc.

• Duke Energy Corporation PAC

• Dunn, Pittman, Skinner & Ashton, PLLC

• EarthShare NC

• Ebenconcepts, Inc.

• Geological Resources, Inc.

• Hurley Insurance Group

PERRY FARMS OF COLERAIN INC.

CLARK PROPERTIES OF OCRACOKE, LLC

• Kirkman, Whitford, Brady, Berryman & Gordon, PA

• Lance Snacks

• Lazy Weekends Yard Care Services, LLC

• Charles K. McCotter Attorney at Law

• Orton Longleaf

• Republic Brands

• The Oleander Company, Inc.

• The Wonderful Company

• Wild Bird and Garden

• Window Ninjas

• zenWTR

SCRAPBOOK

SAVE THE DATE

Monthly Open Hikes

Everett Creek Preserve

March 16, April 20, May 18

Mid-Coast Lawn Party Foscue, Pollocksville

April 13

Work on Wilmington

Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden

April 20

Winter Monitoring in the Southeast/ Coastal North Carolina

December 2023 and January 2024

A WINTER FLOWER Camellias are one of Brunswick County’s winter treasures.

Pollinator Palooza NCCLT Office, Wilmington April 27

Volunteer Day Location TBD May 4

22nd Annual Golf Tournament Country Club of Landfall Wilmington May 6

Party for the Point

Norvell Residence Ocracoke

May 24

Flytrap Frolic

Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden

Wilmington

June 1

www.CoastalLandTrust.org/Events

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP Monitoring took the stewardship staff to all three regions of our coast. Visiting conservation lands in the northeast was a peaceful transition into the new year.