Here is what we are attempting to Preserve Along the Yadkin River. If Alcoa gets a new license to operate the Yadkin Project or if a new public trust obtains the license -- Alcoa's 16,000 acres must be preserved.

The famed Hardaway Site where the first Carolinians (Paleo-Indians), gathered, more than 12,000 years ago, on an Uwharrie ridge overlooking the Yadkin River Valley.

       

The scenic Falls Reservoir property of over 1,000 acres that runs along the entire western side of the reservoir.  The eastern side is already protected by the Uwharrie National Forest.  Both the Hardaway Site and the Falls Reservoir property must become part of Morrow Mountain State Park.

Some of Alcoa's very scenic land along Badin Lake.  It is characteristic of where Uwharrie region outcrops come right to the edge of the Yadkin River.

View of Tuckertown's scenic and typical shoreline from the boat landing off of River Rd.

For more information on land preservation see my article in the Stanly News & Press.

Also you can read my presentation to the Uwharrie Regional Resources Commission.

Email conversation about the Yadkin River Basin.

Another discussion at Inside Stanly.

                                                                               

More at Inside Stanly on recapture and FERC

                                                                              

 The Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin corridor is the most important wildlife corridor in the state.

Who Will Protect the Land Along the Yadkin River?

 Scenic Tuckertown Lake along the Yadkin River just below the High Rock Dam

Since DENR revoked Alcoa’s 401 Water Certification in early Dec. the ability of Alcoa to relicense their four dams appears more in question than ever. Alcoa’s own internal e-mails showed that there are still problems with a shortage of dissolved oxygen below their dams since their power producing turbines are fed water from deep intakes near the bottom of their dams. The lack of dissolved oxygen can stunt and damage the growth of fish and other aquatic species. (Alcoa states that they have been working to resolve this problem.)

Also more than ever Alcoa’s scenic shoreline, uplands and ridgeline properties of approximately 16,000 acres along thirty-eight miles of the Yadkin River are now in great jeopardy of eventually being developed. It appears unlikely that the State of NC will be able to acquire Alcoa’s dams at the super bargain price some have mentioned. If the four Alcoa dams are captured by the State of NC the state will be hard pressed to find sufficient funds. If sufficient funds are found in this recession environment for the four dams what will happen to Alcoa’s land. Will Morrow Mountain State Park not acquire the Falls Reservoir property around to the Hardaway Site? Will Alcoa eventually sell their land to the highest bidder? Will the scenic lands around Tuckertown Lake and the Falls Reservoir be significantly developed within twenty years?

Many pro-Alcoa folks around Badin have long argued that the blockage to Alcoa’s relicensing was partially fueled by regional power brokers who in the long term wanted access to Alcoa’s 16,000 acres for development. (Certainly there are many other reasons elaborated by the Yadkin Riverkeeper and others in Stanly County who want to make cheaper electricity available to attract new businesses to the region.)

Regardless of anyone’s good or bad intentions no major player appears to be engaged anymore about how to preserve and protect Alcoa’s approximately 16,000 acres. In my last post just below I describe the very important land conservation agreement worked out in 2007 by DENR, the Land Trust for Central NC and Alcoa. That agreement will disappear if NC captures Alcoa’s dams.

While the battle intensifies over Alcoa’s relicensing who is sufficiently concerned with the long term purchase and conservation of some of the most scenic, pristine and important land in NC? There is far more to this ongoing battle than just the dams and the water.

Alcoa's Land Protection Plan Along the Yadkin River

View of Falls Reservoir land to be gifted by Alcoa

As the validity of Alcoa’s 401 Water Quality Certificate, that was issued in 2009 by NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is being reviewed in the court room of Administrative Law Judge Joe Webster it is important to revisit Alcoa’s Relicensing Agreement for long-term land protection.

The fight over Alcoa’s relicensing of its four Yadkin River hydroelectric dams continues and the outcome is not certain. However, most everyone wants Alcoa to take full responsibility for cleaning up all pollution created by their Badin aluminum smelting plant. It is essential that NCDENR and the EPA press Alcoa and make sure that Alcoa does all that is environmentally necessary. It is also important for the State of NC to clarify the many water rights issues that involve Alcoa and other corporations like Duke Energy and Progress Energy. Ultimately the water in the rivers of NC belongs to the people of NC.

Many who have been involved with important land conservation efforts in the state remain supportive of Alcoa’s relicensing because of Alcoa’s commitment, if their license is renewed, to help preserve around 6,000 acres of land along the Yadkin River. The most important piece of Alcoa’s land protection agreement is the 1,085 acres they have agreed to gift to Morrow Mt. State Park. This would include their pristine property that runs along the entire length of the secluded Falls Reservoir (already protected on the east side by the Uwharrie National Forest) from Morrow Mt. State Park and also includes the ancient Paleo-Indian Hardaway Site. The long-term protection of this important 1,085 acre tract for the state must be accomplished for many environmental, historic, geological, archeological and eco-tourism reasons.

Other parts of Alcoa’s land protection agreement include their gifting a 270 acre expansion of the Uwharrie National Forest, a 63 acre gift for Eagle Point Nature Preserve in Rowan County and a gift of 14 acres around the Badin Public Recreation Area in Stanly County. So Alcoa has agreed to gift over 1,400 acres along the Yadkin River as part of its relicensing agreement. In addition to those important land gifts Alcoa has also agreed to sale 2,310 acres of land around High Rock Lake and 2,420 acres along Tuckertown Lake to the state of NC for recreation, gamelands and land conservation. The price for these 4,730 basically shoreline aces is $16.2 million or around $3425 per acre. This important land preservation agreement was worked out with the stakeholders and was one of the main reasons they agreed to support Alcoa’s relicensing. It appears that NCDENR with the guidance of Bill Ross and the Land Trust of Central NC were the key players in helping to insure the long-term protection of this approximate 6,000 acres. After this land conservation agreement was announced several years ago Jason Walser, the executive director of the Land Trust of Central NC said: “This agreement represents one of the largest and most important conservation opportunities we have seen in the Southern Piedmont in a generation. We may never see another conservation opportunity of this scale again. What’s truly significant is the quality of the land being offered by Alcoa. The waterfront land possesses incredible ecological value, and nearly all of the proposed land will be available to the public for recreation or hunting.”

The following 23 organizations have expressed support of a new license for Alcoa through their signatures on the formal Relicensing Settlement Agreement for the Yadkin Project.

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (Alcoa-Yadkin)

American Rivers

Badin Lake Association

Badin Historic Museum

Catawba Indian Nation

City of Albemarle, NC

High Rock Business Owners Group

High Rock Lake Association

Land Trust for Central North Carolina

Montgomery County, NC

The Nature Conservancy (S.C. Chapter)

N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources *

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Pee Dee River Coalition

Piedmont Boat Club

Rowan County, NC

Salisbury/Rowan Association of Realtors

S.C. Coastal Conservation League

S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control

S.C. Department of Natural Resources

Town of Badin, NC

U.S. Forest Service

Uwharrie Point Community Association

_________________________

As a fairly new resident near Morrow Mt. State Park, as the recent chair of the Guilford County Open Space Committee and as an active supporter of the emerging Haw River State Park I tried my best to describe the above story about Alcoa’s commitment to long-term land protection around the Yadkin River. There are certainly other facts that need to be added to make this story complete. I am aware that other important groups like the Stanly County Commissioners and the Yadkin Riverkeeper oppose the relicensing of Alcoa’s four dams on the Yadkin River. However, for those of us committed to long-term land preservation in NC this is a very unique opportunity that cannot be taken lightly. These 6,000 acres along the Yadkin River are truly extraordinary in every way. I for one hope that the fight over Alcoa’s relicensing does not jeopardize the preservation of this land.

Wildflowers in the Uwharries

Yesterday a lot of wildflowers were popping out from their long winter's rest.  Just off the parking lot at the Tot Hill Trailhead for the Birkhead Wilderness Area are lots of Blood Root wildflowers.

          Blood Root

Blood Root Flower

Near the banks of the Uwharrie River at Burney Mill Rd. are blooming Trout Lillies and stunning Trillium Cuneatum wildflowers also called Sweet Betsy or Wake Robin.

                                                              

Trout Lillies

      Wake Robin

Jumping Off Rock in the Uwharrie National Forest

An early spring Mourning Cloak butterfly along the trail.

The northern most “official” section of the Uwharrie Trail begins at the Jumping Off Rock Trailhead. It then runs south for 19 miles to the 24/27 Trailhead that is about 2 miles east of River Rd. on Hwy 24/27. The popular Uwharrie Trail is well marked with white blazes along its many rocky curves, ridges, peaks and valleys.

To get to the Jumping Off Rock Trailhead you turn onto Orphir Rd. off of Hwy 109 in the crossroad community of Uwharrie and head about 5 miles. You will come to Ant Hill Rd. or the road's other name, Flint Hill Rd. If you take that right onto Ant Hill Rd. and go about 2 miles you will see a small parking lot with a rail fence on your right that is the trailhead.

Jumping Off Rock Outcrop

(to enlarge any picture click on the photo)

Barnes Creek below Jumping Off Rock

To find the actual Jumping Off Rock outcrop go about a quarter mile east of the Jumping Off Rock Trailhead on Ant Hill Rd. and you will notice a pull off area on your left that holds a couple of cars. The outcrop juts out about 40 feet above Barnes Creek.

                                                                              

Barnes Creek (last two photos) from across the street from the pull-off for Jumping Off Rock.

Tuckertown Lake and Bringle Ferry Rd.

High Rock Dam

I was heading today to High Pines Church Rd. near Fiddler’s Creek Rd. in the Uwharrie National Forest to see if I could locate the 290 acre Birkhead property that has been preserved by the Land Trust of Central NC. But I got sidetracked and spent the afternoon wondering around Tuckertown Lake, below the High Rock Lake Dam on the Yadkin River.


Hydro-electric turbine housing on dam

The Yadkin River is still plenty muddy from all of our heavy winter rains that caused significant flooding but I found a few areas where it’s beginning to clear. Often the muddy water from the western sections of the Yadkin gets filter-out in High Rock Lake or Tuckertown Lake while Badin and Tillery stay fairly clear but that sure didn’t happen this winter. Some locals say the water is the muddiest they have ever seen.

There is a short trail from a picnic and fishing area beside the Yadkin Bridge at Bringle Ferry Rd. up and around the High Rock Dam. You can get a real close-up view of the dam, the churning hydro-electric turbines, and a bird’s eye view of the Yadkin as it flows into its Tuckertown basin.


Yadkin/Tuckertown

Some interesting old homes are along and near to Lick Creek Church Rd. where residents took the Bringle Ferry across the Yadkin before there was a bridge and before the dam. Bringle Ferry Rd. runs off of Hwy 8 several miles north of Hwy 49 in the tiny community of Healing Springs in Davidson County.

(Clink on any photo on this blog to enlarge it)


A sitting stone gathers moss

Birkhead Wilderness Area, Tot Hill Trailhead

Rock outcrops on Coolers Knob

Intertwined beech roots

Talbotts Branch

I remain a homeowner in Greensboro and I am still very active with the Guilford County Open Space Committee but I am spending most of my time in the beautiful Uwharrie National Forest, Morrow Mt. State Park and around the eastern end of the Yadkin River that merges with the Uwharrie River to become the Pee Dee. Fishing and hiking in this region are exceptional and I plan many posts about the attractions, activities and history of this special region of NC.

One of the closest Uwharrie National Forest areas to Greensboro is in Randolph County just outside of Asheboro in the Birkhead Wilderness Area.

To find the Birkhead Wilderness, Tot Hill Trailhead that is part of the Uwharrie National Forest drive down Hwy 220/I-73 South out of Greensboro about 23 miles into Asheboro and take the Hwy 64/Hwy 49 exit off of Hwy 220/I-73. Turn right and head away from Asheboro down Hwy. 49 South (Hwy 64 branches off to the right) for about 6 miles and turn left onto Tot Hill Farm Rd. (You will see a Birkhead Wilderness sign for the Tot Hill Trailhead and another sign directing you to Lassiter Mill Rd. and other Birkhead trailheads.) Go about 2 miles (passing the golf course on your right) and you will see on your right the Tot Hill Trailhead with its small gravel parking lot.

A delightful hike of just over a mile that follows the main white blazed trail takes you along Talbotts Branch and up to the top of Coolers Knob Mountain that is one of the higher Uwharrie peaks at 935 feet.

New 450 Acre Tract Preserved for Guilford County

The largest single piece of property recommended for preservation by the Guilford County Open Space Committee was approved by the Guilford County Commissioners at their meeting on Thursday July 23rd.

The 450 acre tract, with deeds going back to the 1850's, will be purchased for $2,292,000 with open space bond funds approved by voters in 2004. The bargain price of $5,093 per acre reflected the ongoing real estate recession and the generosity of the owners -- Hines family members and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

This huge new tract will provide important protection for 2 miles of Reedy Fork Creek and help the water quality in the Haw River as the water flows east. Eventually water quality in Lake Jordan should benefit from this project. This tract may become a secondary route for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and help connect trails from the natural section of Bryan Park to Northeast Park.

The site contains an old cemetery with simple stone markers and some open fields may prove to be ideal for some significant local sustainable farming. The large forest on this property will now be preserved to continue to clean our air.

I will post some pictures soon (I am in the midst of a major move) of this wonderful 450 acre tract that flows in all directions from the intersection of Hines Chapel Rd. and McLeansville Rd.

Saving forests, meadows and wetlands in Guilford County

The photos above are of an American Toad and a Great Blue Heron shoring up its nest for the spring. Both taken last week on the 250 acre Richardon Tract.

The important work of the Guilford County Open Space Committee was reported on today in a fine article by Taft Wireback in the N&R.

Be sure to note the interactive map of the open space sites.

Not as well organized on the N&R web site is the following important info:

WHAT IS OPEN SPACE? “Land in a predominantly undeveloped condition including forests, wetlands, stream corridors, managed meadows and agricultural areas. Land protected by Guilford County as open space is protected in perpetuity and is suitable for native wildlife and plant habitat; water quality protection; natural resource preservation; passive recreation; trails for non-motorized vehicles; ecologically sustainable agriculture; and scientific or educational uses.” — Adopted by Guilford Open Space Committee, July 2007

BENEFITS OF OPEN SPACE: Protecting water quality, Improving air quality, Reducing flood damage, Enhancing economic development, Creating scenic landscape, Saving habitat for plants and wildlife, Restoring water supplies, both below ground and lakes, streams or rivers, Promoting low-impact recreation, Sustaining local farms and agriculture, Connecting people with nature, Preserving a natural legacy for generations to come.

DID YOU KNOW?
North Carolina once had an abundant agrarian landscape, but its farms are vanishing. The state lost 5,500 farms from 2003 through 2006 totaling 300,000 acres, the size of Cleveland County.

The American Water Works Association says that for every 10 percent increase in acres of forest, a community’s cost for water purification drops 20 percent.

Federal regulators estimate it’s at least 20 times more costly to treat contaminated water than to protect from pollution the watershed that supplies it.

North Carolina has 3,300 miles of streams so polluted they do not meet basic clean water standards.

In studying 14 of North Carolina’s 33 state parks, researchers at N.C. State estimated those 14 parks pump more than $195 million a year into the economy.

Living close to a park is good for home values. Houses close to an urban park gain $800 to $2,000 in value. Living near a larger, more rural park adds as much as $11,300.

Guilford County open-space advocates hope to set aside 100 acres of protected open space for every 1,000 residents. Currently, the county has about half that much.

OPEN SPACE ACROSS N.C.
An increasing number of North Carolina cities and counties are putting aside money for open space and park land. Since 2004, 13 cities and counties have passed 16 open-space referendums with a total value of $335.6 million.

GUILFORD'S $38 MILLION
North Carolina has four trust funds that help counties, cities and nonprofit groups preserve open space for the public. Since 1997, those programs have pumped $37.6 million into Guilford County, most of it within the last year.

The Parks and Recreation Trust Fund has provided $33.5 million, about $26 million earmarked for the new Haw River State Park. Other grants from this trust went to smaller city and county parks run by the county, Greensboro, High Point, Gibsonville, Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and Summerfield.

The Clean Water Management Trust Fund is aimed at helping state and local government prevent water pollution, often by buying land in watershed areas. It has given $2.6 million to Guilford County, Greensboro, the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority and the nonprofit Haw River Assembly for such purchases across the county.

The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund buys conservation easements, where farm families sell development rights for anything other than farming. It provided $508,000 to the nonprofit, Greensboro-based Piedmont Land Conservancy last year for such purposes.

The Natural Heritage Trust Fund enables state agencies to buy important natural areas. It awarded $1 million last year to Haw River State Park for riverfront property near the park’s environmental education center. Sources: Land for Tomorrow, The Trust for Public Land, Guilford County Open Space Committee

Guilford County Open Space Committee

Thanks to the N&R and Taft Wireback for featuring the Guilford County Open Space Committee in today's 10 Plus column!!

443 Pristine Acres Preserved and Protected

Tonight at the Guilford County Commissioner’s meeting the commissioners approved the purchase of the 250 acre Richardson tract off of Plainfield Rd. near Church St. for $2.56 million. (Click to enlarge map above.) The broadly supported decision by the commissioners, after one and a half years of hard work by the Guilford County Open Space Committee, ensures completion of our goal to preserve 443 acres of beautiful uplands and very sensitive wetlands that flow directly into Lake Townsend. This major project will protect and improve our water quality and our air quality. This project will provide significant protection for trees, plants, waterfowl and animals. This project helps to sooth the eye and the soul.

The State Of NC agreed on Nov. 4th to purchase the adjoining 193 acre Morton tract. The two tracts combine to preserve 443 acres. The state became very interested because the joint purchase of the two tracts provides most of the route for the Mountains to Sea Trail from the Greensboro Watershed Trials to the Haw River State Park. The Richardson family of Vicks Vaporub fame and the Morton family of Grandfather Mountain fame also gifted a significant part of their property for this major conservation project. To make this deal potentially sweeter the Open Space Committee will apply for a grant of around $1.3 million from NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

It was the Guilford County Open Space Committee that conceived and nominated the Haw River State Park in 2001 that now contains around 1500 acres and is growing. In 2006 and 2007 two additional tracts were purchased and preserved by the Open Space Committee and in 2008 we preserved seven new tracts. Not counting our important efforts at the Haw River State Park (that used only state funds) we have now preserved nine tracts of open space in Guilford County that total 725.5 acres. Of the $10 million Open Space Bond Funds approved in 2004 we have now spent (including the Richardson tract) $3.8 million. Over $6 million in funding still remains for additional projects in Guilford County. (Wake County voters overwhelmingly passed an additional $50 million open space bond in 2007 and in Mecklenburg County voters approved an additional $34 million.)

Richardson Tract Photos. See Important Details of Richardson/Morton Project Below

*Click on photos above to enlarge.

Photos of Morton Tract

Please note details just below of the Richardson/Morton and Mountains to Sea Project.

(Click on any photo above to enlarge it.)

One Beautiful Project! Richardson/Morton Land Preservation and the Mountains to Sea Trail in Our Backyard

Back in May the N&R reported on the possible creation of a huge new land conservation project. The Richardson/Morton project created and brokered by the Guilford County Open Space Committee is now very close to becoming a wonderful reality for the citizens of Guilford County.

This project will help protect our community’s water reservoirs, help recharge our groundwater, and provide protection for air purifying trees and plant species. It will protect large beaver ponds, waterfowl and substantial numbers of other wildlife.

Thanks to efforts of all involved the cost for this important project was shared, gifted and reduced by all the players. With a price tag of initially over $6 million the Guilford County part of this will be no more than $2.56 million and possibly with a Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant as little as $1.5 million. We on the Guilford County Open Space Committee urge your strong support for this project and you can help by contacting the county commissioners.

More news articles should follow soon but these are some of the current facts about this project:

· The N.C. Division of Parks, the Guilford County Open Space Committee and the Guilford County Parks & Recreation Commission have all approved our parts of this project. The Board of Guilford County Commissioners at their Dec. 11th meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Old Court House at 301W. Market St. should give final approval for this project.

· 443 pristine, natural acres of land will be preserved north of Lake Townsend, north just off Plainfield Rd. about one mile west from Church St., west of Spencer Dixon Rd., and running to the back of Northern High School property off of Hwy 150.

· This project will provide much of the land needed to connect our Greensboro Watershed Trails to the Mountains to Sea Trail section running between Greensboro and the Haw River State Park.

· The Morton family (of Grandfather Mountain fame) has agreed to sell, at 25% under the current appraised value, 193 acres at $2.82 million. And the N.C. Council of State just approved on Nov. 4th the purchase of this section of the Mountains to Sea Trail for the N.C. Division of Parks. Thus this entire 193 acre tract will be purchased by the State of N.C.

· The Richardson family (of Vicks Vaporub fame) has agreed to sell, at almost 40% under current appraised value, 250 acres at $2.56 million. This conservation land purchase (and use of this land in part for the Mountains to Sea Trail) will require the use of Guilford County Open Space bond funds that were approved by voters in 2004. And the use of county bond funds requires the approval of the BOCC.

· The Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department has agreed to partner with Guilford County and the State of N.C. to help maintain this section of the Mountains to Sea Trail.

· The Guilford County Open Space Committee will apply for a grant from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund to reimburse around $1.3 million of the $2.56 million that will be spent by Guilford County for this project. Since the Richardson tract includes significant wetlands along Long Branch that feed into Lake Townsend this is a very realistic possibility. Thus this entire project may only draw down the approved bond funds by around $1.5 million.

**Click on map of Richardson and Morton property and photos above to enlarge. 1st photo of beaver pond on Richardson property, 2nd photo of huge Willow Oak on Morton property and the 3rd photo is of a trail on the Morton property. More photos to follow.

Conserving Land for Everyone in Guilford County

The Guilford County Open Space Committee with approval of the county commissioners has now preserved six important tracts of land in Guilford County with voter approved open space bonds to help clean our water, recharge our water, improve air quality and preserve plant and animal habitats, etc.

Above are photos from the Bold Moon tract that was approved on 3/6/08. This tract includes just over 20 acres and one-half of the value of the property was gifted by the owners. It abuts Reedy Fork Creek off of Hicone Rd. in Gibsonville. It has huge rock outcrops, some over 18 feet tall. It has a historically significant old carriage path and stream ford. A real gem!