North Carolina Land and Water Fund Awards over $45 Million to Protect Natural Areas, Waterways, Historic Sites and Military Buffers

The North Carolina Land and Water Fund Board of Trustees met October 1 and 2 to consider grant applications and make awards for projects that will protect North Carolina's land and water from the mountains to the coast.

"As we continue the unprecedented response to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, we are reminded that conservation makes us more resilient to future events," said Governor Roy Cooper. "These important grants will help protect our state's land and wetlands for generations to come."

The funds will protect 13,750 acres, of which over 13,000 acres will eventually be open to the public for hiking, hunting, boating, birding, and other recreational uses. Funds were also granted for 17 projects to restore or enhance over nine miles of streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries and to restore over 120 acres of drained or otherwise impaired wetlands and floodplains. Funds were awarded for six projects designed to evaluate innovative techniques for managing stormwater. In addition, nine planning projects were funded to identify key water quality and conservation opportunities in mountain, piedmont, and coastal watersheds.

"The North Carolina Land and Water Fund grants are essential to protecting the natural areas and waterways of our state," said Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. "Preservation and restoration of wetlands and land along streams will help protect water quality and make those areas less vulnerable to future flooding events."

Grants awarded will help protect 127 types of rare plants, animals, and natural communities. Conservation projects will benefit 26 Endangered or Threatened plants and animal species, including Coastal Species such as Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, Piping Plover, Red Knot, and Seabeach Amaranth. Piedmont species include N.C. endemic aquatic animals Neuse River Waterdog and Cape Fear Shiner. Mountain species include French Broad Crayfish and Virginia Spiraea.

Over $28 million in grants will go to rural and economically distressed counties. This year's grants will support North Carolina's $28 billion outdoor recreation economy by:

• Protecting over 2,900 acres that will be added to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission game lands in Haywood and Robeson counties;

• Adding over 3,400 acres to N.C. State Parks in Ashe, Chatham, Harnett, Moore, Robeson, Rockingham, and Wilkes counties;

• Protecting over 5,900 acres in local parks and preserves in Ashe, Buncombe, Carteret, Chatham, Dare, Granville, Henderson, Johnston, McDowell, Polk, Rockingham, and Surry counties;

• Protecting 10 sites with historic and cultural resources, including Lockville Canal in Chatham County, the Pauli Murray and Fitzgerald Family Home in Durham, a Civil War-era shipwreck, locally significant historic mill and farmstead sites, and multiple archaeological sites, as well as buffering the Blue Ridge Parkway;

• Improving over nine miles of streams, rivers, and shores via living shoreline construction, stream and floodplain restoration, and dam removal projects, including a project in Wilmington to restore shellfish growing waters of Hewlett's Creek and mitigate flooding in surrounding neighborhoods;

• Funding nine planning grants across North Carolina, including identifying threats to water supplies, stormwater management and stream restoration opportunities, and wetlands and floodplains capable of mitigating flooding. Communities and areas impacted include Brevard, Canton, Jacksonville, and Waxhaw, as well as protection of drinking water supplies in 34 counties; and

• Funding six innovative stormwater projects designed to evaluate the effectiveness of novel stormwater treatment systems in communities from Asheville and West Jefferson to Fairmont. Novel approaches to stormwater treatment will be evaluated by a diverse group of researchers and community scientists including high school students, community college students, and university researchers. Results will help to guide efforts to control pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, bacteria, and forever chemicals.

North Carolina Land and Water Fund grants will also provide buffers for military installations and training areas, awarding $7.4 million and protecting over 1,350 acres near M.C.A.S. Cherry Point, U.S. Army Fort Liberty, and U.S.M.C. Camp Lejeune. The military sector contributes $66 billion in economic activity in the state each year.

"The $45 million our board awarded in October is in addition to $5.8 million allocated in September through a partnership with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality that will augment 11 projects designed to reduce flood risk initially funded by the North Carolina Land and Water Fund in 2022," said John Wilson, chair of the North Carolina Land and Water Fund board of trustees. "The estimated 460 additional acre-feet of flood water these projects can now retain is especially timely on the heels of recent storms."

The North Carolina Land and Water Fund receives direct appropriations from the N.C. General Assembly in order to award grants to local governments, state agencies, and nonprofits to help finance projects that specifically improve the state's water quality, among other purposes. Because these grant applications were reviewed prior to Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Land and Water Fund is currently reviewing on-the-ground logistics of projects potentially impacted by the storm.

A complete list of grant awards is available on the North Carolina Land and Water Fund website at www.nclwf.nc.gov/2024-nclwf-awards/open.

About the North Carolina Land and Water Fund
The North Carolina Land and Water Fund, previously known as the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, was originally established in 1996 to protect the state's drinking water sources. The N.C. General Assembly expanded the Fund's mission to include conserving and protecting the state's natural resources, cultural heritage and military installations. The North Carolina Land and Water Fund has conserved over 500,000 acres and protected or restored 3,000 miles of streams and rivers. To learn more, visit www.nclwf.nc.gov.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina - its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.