SAVE THE SOUTH END
“Saving the Lands you Love along the coast” is the tagline of the Coastal Land Trust. It is possible that these eight words have never been truer than for our effort to permanently protect the 149+ acres at the southern end of Topsail Beach.
As of August 1st, the Coastal Land Trust has raised $900,000 from more than 380 donors. Support has come from year-round residents and weekend visitors, those with multi-generational connections to the island and those who recently visited for the first time, conservationists, birders, and boaters. Each story we hear emphasizes how special the South End of Topsail Beach is to people both young and old.
The majority of the $8 million needed to permanently conserve the South End of Topsail Beach is expected to come from
TOPSAIL, continued on page 5
GROWING THE CROATAN
Protecting land around the Croatan National Forest has been one of the Coastal Land Trust’s highest priorities over the past 30 years. To date, NCCLT has protected more than 7,800 acres within the Croatan District boundary through 40 transactions (see map, page 5).
Much of this work has been made possible by the $7.3 million NCCLT received in 2018 as part of the settlement agreement between the Sierra Club and NCDOT over the construction of the U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass. These funds have been used to protect 3,700 acres
including the purchase of a 349-acre tract that was directly transferred to the US Forest Service (USFS) to be managed as part of the Croatan. Additionally, NCCLT has protected another 4,132 acres of land using other state, federal, and private funding sources.
One may ask, “Why is the Croatan such an important focus for the Coastal Land Trust?”
Encompassing more than 160,000 acres, the Croatan is a bastion of natural heritage in North Carolina, representing one of the CROATAN, continued on page 5
REAVES CHAPEL RESTORATION ENTERS FINAL PHASE
The restoration of Reaves Chapel is almost finished, bringing new life to this cherished landmark and preserving its legacy for future generations.
Since purchasing Reaves Chapel in 2019, one of the Cape Fear Region’s most culturally and historically significant African American structures, the Coastal Land Trust and Cedar Hill West Bank Heritage Foundation have worked diligently to restore the church. Each step over the past 5 years, from stabilization to a new foundation and roof, has brought the church closer to completion. The final phase of work began this summer and will continue through the fall. The work includes installation of electrical and interior walls, construction of an external restroom facility, and installation of the driveway and parking. The restroom has been designed to complement the chapel aesthetically and will provide modern, accessible amenities for visitors to this historic space. Once the driveway and parking areas are complete, landscaping will take place. Native plantings will be used
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A Piping plover enjoys the serenity of Topsail’s pristine South End.
Photo credit: Gavin Shwahla
The Coastal Land Trust’s Gales Creek Preserve hosts majestic longleaf pine stands like those found in the adjacent Croatan National Forest.
MAIN OFFICE
3 Pine Valley Drive Wilmington, NC 28412 (910) 790-4524
HARRISON MARKS
Executive Director ext. 2060 harrison@CoastalLandTrust.org
LIZZIE BARKLEY Office & Event Coordinator ext. 2080 lizzie@CoastalLandTrust.org
JESICA C. BLAKE
Associate Director & Director of Stewardship / Community Conservation ext. 2030 jesica@CoastalLandTrust.org
MARY ANN BROUGHTON DANIEL Development Associate ext. 2090 maryann@CoastalLandTrust.org
MELLISSA DIONESOTES Land and Stewardship Manager ext. 2300 mellissa@CoastalLandTrust.org
KENNETH J. LINGERFELT Director of Land Protection 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 Senior Advisor for Land Protection ext. 2040 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
A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD
Dear Members and Friends,
On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your support of the Coastal Land Trust! It has been my privilege to serve as your Board President for the past two years and, as I close my term, I am pleased to report that the financial and operational health of the Coastal Land Trust is excellent. Your gift to the Coastal Land Trust makes you a member of the organization, entitling you to receive this newsletter and invitations to special events celebrating conservation throughout the year. Ongoing member donations are critical to the operations of the organization, and all members can take
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
pride in the accomplishments of the Coastal Land Trust which are made possible by their support.
Members have a say in the organization’s future through the election of a new class of Directors each year at our annual meeting, a time when we celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and look forward to completing exciting new projects. This year’s annual celebration at Poplar Grove Plantation on September 21st promises to be one of the best ever. We’ll have updates on our Save the Sound End of Topsail Beach initiative as well as the many other exciting projects that we’re working on. I hope you will join in the fun.
Gratefully,
Hal Kitchin President, Coastal Land Trust Board of Directors
Kitchin Wilmington, NC
Lorrie Basnight Greenville, NC
Bernest Hewett Bolivia, NC
Ken Hines Wilmington, NC
Hannah Holt Wilmington, NC
Laurie McComas King Wilmington, NC
Yoshi Newman, Ph.D. Greenville, NC
Chad Pearson Wilmington, NC
Dr. Stan Riggs Greenville, NC
Brian Rubino Kitty Hawk, NC
Ann Cary Simpson Chapel Hill, NC
Nick Parker Wilmington, NC
Mary Tillery Chapel Hill, NC
Pam Watkins Wilmington, NC
Robert Wells Kitty Hawk, NC
Alan Craig loves to hike and explore natural areas in the mountains and here at the coast. One of the coastal sites he enjoys most is the Island Creek Forest Walk Trail in the Croatan National Forest. So, when the Coastal Land Trust purchased and conserved an adjacent 247-acre property along Island Creek, it made him smile. The Coastal Land Trust’s Island Creek Preserve borders the Croatan for more than 2 miles and serves as the viewshed for much of the Island Creek Forest Walk Trail. Alan cares deeply about the Island Creek area and asked us how he could help with preserve management. Coastal Land Trust staff informed him of a key management priority, the eradication of Wisteria, an invasive, exotic vine that had engulfed nearly 10 acres of the Island Creek Preserve. Alan quickly understood the importance of maintaining the health and biodiversity of this forest preserve and has generously contributed to our “War on Wisteria” for the past several years. Thanks to heroes like Alan, we are winning the war!
DONOR SPOTLIGHT – ISAAC ALAN CRAIG
FROGS A-LEAPING AT THE BERN PRESERVE
The Coastal Land Trust’s 923-acre Bern Preserve in Craven County is dotted with small ponds, many cloaked in dense tree cover. In late 2021, Coastal Land Trust staff, with guidance from Dave Allen, retired wildlife biologist with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), cleared out trees and smaller vegetation in and around several of the ponds to improve habitat for native frogs. Allen explained that opening up these small ephemeral ponds to more sunlight not only helps these tiny amphibians thermoregulate but also stimulates the growth of aquatic vegetation in the ponds which provide food, shade, shelter, and structure for frogs and their tadpoles. Pulling out trees from around these ponds with heavy equipment was dramatic, but so was the frogs’ response.
In early 2021, Allen conducted frog call surveys at the Bern Preserve before the pond clearing work began. He documented only two common species, spring peeper and southern leopard frog. However, in 2023, only two years post-pond clearing, Allen documented ten frog species at the Bern Preserve including a couple of rarities like southern chorus frog and barking treefrog. Allen is thrilled, but not surprised by the results. He stated, “This area of
AmeriCorps NC 2023-24: Resilience NC members Lauren Waibel and Jordan Pilcher share some thoughts about their year with the Coastal Land Trust.
Why did you apply to serve through the AmeriCorps program with the Coastal Land Trust?
Lauren: I was excited about the conservation work the Coastal Land Trust does and interested in becoming more familiar with the ecology of southeastern North Carolina.
Craven County is particularly awesome for frog diversity because it provides a large range of different size natural ponds like that found at the Bern Preserve. During the year, some of these ponds will dry up
preventing predatory fish from being established. The successful pond restoration work at Bern is huge as it represents an important refuge for many frog species.” The frogs are a-leaping!
AMERICORPS 2023-2024 REFLECTIONS
What is something new you learned during your service year?
Lauren: I’m most fascinated by the benefits of controlled burns and the dependence of the longleaf pine ecosystem on fire.
Jordan: My favorite things that I’ve learned about are all of the incredible species of carnivorous plants that we have in coastal North Carolina.
What was your favorite moment with the Coastal Land Trust?
Jordan: I was drawn to the idea of being an environmental educator serving (and giving back) the coastal counties of North Carolina, including my home county. What was one thing you were nervous about before starting your service year?
Lauren: I was nervous about keeping up with all the land trust-specific terminology that was new to me as well as navigating solo monitoring trips.
Jordan: Our environmental education programs focus on the longleaf pine ecosystem, carnivorous plants, and pollinators, so I knew I had a lot to learn considering my marine science background.
Lauren: My favorite moment was seeing the huge turnout of volunteers at the Reaves Chapel Cemetery Cleanup Day in December. It has been so inspiring to me how many people want to give up their Saturday mornings to help out and get involved in their community.
Jordan: My favorite moment at the Coastal Land Trust was our Flytrap Frolic event in June. It was so wonderful to teach families about our carnivorous plants and share the beauty of the Stanley Rehder Garden with our community.
To read the full interview, head to our blog.
Dave Allen, retired wildlife biologist with NCWRC, celebrates the revival of frogs in response to the pond restoration work at the Bern Preserve in Craven County.
Lauren Waibel, top, was this year’s Stewardship and Volunteer Coordinator and Jordan Pilcher, bottom, was this year’s Environmental Education Coordinator. Both AmeriCorps positions were made possible thanks to a partnership with the Conservation Trust for North Carolina.
Photo credit: Nature Connect
FUNDING PARTNERS
$25,000 – $100,000 +
$10,000 – $24,999
$2,500 – $9,999
AND JO ALLISON SMITH FAMILY
$500 – $999 $1,000 – $2,499
• Alani Nu
• Armstrong World Industries, Inc
• Carol Sue Blueberry Farm
• Cheerwine
• The Country Club of Landfall
• Duke Energy Corporation PAC
• Dunn, Pittman, Skinner & Ashton, PLLC
• EarthShare NC
• Ebenconcepts, Inc.
• Hunt Brothers Pizza
• Lazy Weekends Yard Care Services, LLC
• Lunch Box Sandwiches
• Charles K. McCotter Attorney at Law
• Murchison, Taylor & Gibson, PLLC
• Orton Longleaf • PRIME • Quest Transport • The Oleander Company, Inc. • Wild Bird and Garden
SAVE THE DATE
Conversation with Retired U.S. Army General Mike Scaparrotti
Topsail Assembly Building
Sept. 12
Annual Celebration
Poplar Grove
September 21
Everett Creek Open Hike Day
Everett Creek Preserve
September 21
Fire in the Pines Festival
Halyburton Park
October 5
Everett Creek Open Hike Day
Everett Creek Preserve
October 19
Trick or Treat on the Trails
Everett Creek Preserve
October 26
Volunteer Trail Day
Location TBD
November 2
Everett Creek Open Hike Day
Everett Creek Preserve
November 16
Volunteer Work Day
Reaves Chapel
December 7
CoastalLandTrust.org/events
NATURE TRIVIA
Answer on page 6
What plant, if ingested, is highly toxic to flies, birds, livestock, and humans?
A. Giant cane
B. Devil’s walking stick
C. Stagger Grass
90,273 ACRES PROTECTED
You can help us reach 100,000 acres protected.
CoastalLandTrust.org/donate
CROATAN, continued from page 1
largest protected areas of wildlands in the coastal plain.
The Croatan provides crucial habitat for a wide array of flora and fauna and serves as a haven for a select few species in North Carolina. Its size and protected state has enabled certain populations to persist that otherwise may have experienced significant fragmentation and catastrophic declines.
For example, the federally endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Dryobates borealis), or “RCW,” is dependent on mature longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests. This species has experienced a staggering population decline of approximately 99% throughout its historical range due to the impacts of the timber industry and fire suppression since European colonization. As a result of the US Forest Service’s (USFS) land management practices and prescribed burning program, the Croatan currently supports one of the largest populations of RCWs in North Carolina.
In addition to maintaining the ecological health of longleaf pine forests, prescribed burns play a role in climate change resiliency. In April 2023, a wildfire referred to as the Great Lakes Fire, ripped through the Croatan growing from 7,000 acres to more than 32,000 acres in the span of two days. As the fire
TOPSAIL continued from page 1
federal and state agency grants. Based on the grants submitted, $1.5 million to $2 million in donations from the public will be needed to complete the project. The exact amount will be solidified once grant awards are announced this fall. Thanks to the incredible community support received thus far, there is every reason to believe the public donation goal is achievable.
See for yourself! Take a look at our Growing the Croatan StoryMap for a visual narrative of this awe-inspiring initiative.
migrated further north toward the city of New Bern, areas of the Croatan that had been burned in recent years through the USFS’s prescribed burn program acted to slow the spread of this wildfire by reducing the fuel load, providing a crucial buffer to neighboring cities, towns, and residential areas.
Similarly, NCCLT has worked to uphold this standard of land management on several preserves adjacent to the Croatan including the Bern Preserve, a 923-acre tract situated between the northern boundary of the Croatan and residential area of Brice’s Creek, further buffering those residential areas from the future threat of wildfires.
Through acquisition, restoration, prescribed burning, and other land management practices, NCCLT will continue to enhance forest health, support wildlife habitat, and establish wildfire buffers around one of North Carolina’s most pristine ecosystems: the Croatan National Forest.
There’s still a lot of work to be done and every donation, big and small, gets us closer to protecting this coastal treasure forever.
Scan the QR code to support the Save the South End campaign.
SCRAPBOOK
Party for the Point | Ed and Susan Norvell’s Home and Springer’s Point Preserve | Ocracoke | May 2024
hike led
NATURE TRIVIA ANSWER
Fly Poison plants found on a property adjacent to the Croatan National Forest in Craven County, NC.
HOSTS WITH THE MOST
SUPPORTERS AROUND THE STATE
Above: Evan Cavenaugh and Development Associate Mary Ann Daniel, two Winston-Salem friends, smiling big for Springer’s Point. Our supporters live all over the state and country!
TAKING THE TOUR
Left: Associate Director and Director of Stewardship and Community Conservation, Jesica Blake, explains the changes in the shoreline and forest after Hurricane Dorian.
from page 5
Answer: C. Stagger Grass (Amianthium muscitoxicum), also known as Fly Poison or Crow Poison, is highly poisonous to humans and livestock if ingested. It contains a toxic alkaloid and has been used to kill flies by creating a mixture of ground Fly Poison bulb and sugar.
A VIEW OF THE PAMLICO
A guided
folks out to one of Springer’s Point’s iconic vistas of the Pamlico Sound peering through the Live oaks.
Party for the Point hosts, Ed and Susan Norvell, and Jill Quattlebaum (left) celebrating Springer’s Point on Ocracoke Island. The Norvells have been hosting this party for many years and we are so grateful!
HAVING A BLAST
Hands-on learning is one of the best ways to explore something new, with Joseph Dobbins of The Nature Conservancy.
HERE’S SOME!
Land and Stewardship Manager, Mellissa Dionesotes, shows just how small yet feisty Venus
REAVES, continued from page 1
throughout the property, especially in the front to create a natural barrier from the road and provide a pleasant experience for future visitors. The
More than 700 people from near and far discovered the wonders of carnivorous plants at the 14th annual Flytrap
EVEN
TINIER THAN FLYTRAPS
Young visitors find out about the fascinating Sundew through close-up encounters thanks to AmeriCorps
MAKE YOUR OWN
Coastal Land Trust is continuing to fundraise to cover the cost of this last phase while work is underway and will have volunteer opportunities in the late fall/early winter to help with all the finishing touches such
as landscaping and tree planting. Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved, help - AND to celebrate the completion of Restoring Reaves Chapel.
Volunteer Hailey Nelms inspires continued fun by helping kids make their own Venus flytraps.
flytraps can be.
Resilience NC Member Jordan Pilcher.
Frolic.
SCRAPBOOK
Photo Credit: Ashton Gabrielle Photography