RALEIGH, NC – Along a quiet tributary to Marks Creek, 28 acres of pines, hardwoods and streambanks are now protected in perpetuity and connected to a growing network of open space thanks to new conservation easements completed by Wake County’s Farmland Preservation Program, Wake County’s Open Space Preservation Program and Triangle Land Conservancy. This is the first project to combine funding from the Wake County Farmland Preservation Program and the Wake County Open Space Preservation Program.
This privately owned property sits next to existing county-owned open space, creating one continuous stretch of protected land. The agreement also allows for a future greenway, which could one day link Wake County’s Turnipseed Nature Preserve to Triangle Land Conservancy’s 447-acre Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve and its 17 miles of hiking and multi-use trails in eastern Wake County.
“Conservation isn’t just about protecting land, it’s about creating spaces where people, farms, forests, wildlife and the environment can thrive together,” said Donald Mial, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “These properties help us do just that and create new opportunities for people to experience the benefits of nature close to home.”
The landowners, Triangle Land Conservancy and Wake County worked together to complete the project. TLC will hold a conservation easement over the entire 28 acres. Wake County will also hold a separate conservation easement on 4.5 acres of the property allowing for the construction of a future greenway.
“This property is located in the heart of the Marks Creek Rural Landscape, which has been a high-priority conservation area for more than 30 years,” said TLC’s Senior Land Protection Manager East Brenna Thompson. “We are thrilled to add this 28-acre property to the more than 2,500 acres that Triangle Land Conservancy, Wake County and other partners have protected in Marks Creek. We are immensely grateful to the landowners for deciding to permanently protect their property and to Wake County for funding this important land protection project."
Conservation easements are voluntary, binding legal agreements that permanently protect natural resources, including farms and forests, by limiting development, subdivision and other incompatible land uses. The landowners will retain fee-simple ownership of the property, and it is not open to the public at this time.
The land is almost entirely mature pine and mixed hardwood forest and includes about 3,150 feet of stream flowing into Marks Creek. The total cost to Wake County is $670,500, roughly 75 percent of the easement value. The landowner contributed the remaining 25 percent.
This action supports Wake County’s Growth, Land Use and Environment Goal 3: Protect 1,000 acres of green space, including open space, parks, greenways, farmland and forests by 2029.
