Source: NCDENR, 12/16/13

A $700,000 contribution from the state’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund earlier this year helped a Triangle land conservation group purchase a historic farm in Wake County so it can be protected as a public nature preserve.
To show its appreciation, the Triangle Land Conservancy and staff with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources will honor the fund’s board of trustees during the board’s regular meeting Wednesday. The board meets from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday in Room 1210 of the Environment and Natural Resources Building, 217 West Jones Street, Raleigh. The presentation of a plaque honoring the trust fund’s board will be about 4 p.m. during a public comment period.

The trust fund’s monetary award helped purchase the Walnut Hill Farm, a 400-acre property that was owned by the Williamson family since colonial times. The Triangle Land Conservancy considers the newly acquired Walnut Hill Farm to be one of its most significant achievements in its 30-year history.

“Protecting this property is a significant achievement for the Triangle Land Conservancy and all the partners who contributed to this great project,” said Cecilia Holden, the special assistant to N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Secretary John Skvarla who will present a plaque from the Triangle Land Conservancy to board members. “This is a great win for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund as this project will go a long way toward protecting drinking water for thousands of Triangle residents.”

The property will also become a spot people can visit to connect with the natural world, see wildlife, hike along nearly three miles of stream and learn about a vital part of North Carolina’s agricultural history. The preserve may eventually have trails connecting to the nearby Mountains-to-Sea Trail, part of the state parks system.

According to its Dec. 4 news release, the Triangle Land Conservancy purchased the property Oct. 23 from Betty Brandt Williamson and Sally Greaser at 40 percent of its appraised value. The land was purchased through a public-private partnership with contributions from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Wake County ($1.6 million), Johnston County ($231,000), the Environmental Enhancement Grant program ($121,000) and funds the conservancy raised from its Our Water, Our Land campaign.

Other business:
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund board will vote on funding for other grant applications and consider recommendations on committee organization and funding formulas made earlier this month by the board’s two ad-hoc committees.  

A meeting agenda can be found on the Clean Water management Trust Fund’s website at: http://www.cwmtf.net/Docs/CWMTF_Dec_2013_Agenda.pdf. The trust fund helps finance the state’s significant natural resource needs, including land conservation and protection of surface water quality. The trust fund is managed by the Office of Land and Water Stewardship, which is part of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.