significant natural heritage areas of wake county north carolina natural heritage program kristen...
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Significant NaturalHeritage Areas
of Wake County
North Carolina Natural Heritage Program
Kristen Sinclair
Mitchell’s Mill State Natural Area
North Carolina Natural Heritage Program
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Office of Natural Resource Planning and Conservation
Natural Heritage Program Mission• Our program inventories, catalogues, and
supports conservation of the rarest and the most outstanding elements of natural biodiversity in North Carolina.
Royal Fern(Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis) Floodplain Pool
Natural Community
Marbled salamander(Ambystoma opacum)
Focus on Rare and High Quality• Plants and animals that are uncommon to
rare in the state or region
• Species that are endangered or threatened on a global level
• High quality natural communities
Michaux’s sumac(Rhus michauxii)
Neuse River Waterdog(Necturus lewisii)
Rare Plants and AnimalsNatural Heritage Element Occurrences (NHEO)
• We track:– > 700 plant species– ~ 600 animal species and
special animal habitats
• Tracking a species means:– Field survey and ID– Entering records into a
database– Rating the population quality– Working to protect the most
important populations
North Carolina Classification of Natural Communities
(3rd approx., 1990)
About 120 types are currently tracked
High Quality Natural Communities Natural Heritage Element Occurrences (NHEO)
Significant Natural Heritage Areas
• Ecologically valuable areas• “An area of land or water identified as
being important for conservation of the state's biodiversity”
• SNHAs contain one or more of the tracked Natural Heritage elements– Rare species– High quality natural communities
• The critical piece for conservation work
Wake County Inventory 2003• Two-year project to locate and document Significant Natural
Heritage Areas within Wake County• Focused on both public and private lands• Access was limited to sites where we had permission to
survey• Additional areas could be discovered
over time
In the field with Harry LeGrand
1 Adam Mountain2 Barham Granitic Flatrocks3 Beaver Creek Floodplain4 Blue Pond (Sunset Lake)5 Crabtree Creek Aquatic Habitat6 Crabtree Creek/Ebeneezer Creek Slopes7 Fowlers Mill Granitic Flatrocks8 Great Bend of the Neuse Natural Area9 Hemlock Bluffs State Natural Area10 Hodges Mill Creek Granitic Flatrocks11 Hollemans Crossroads Salamander Pools12 Hollemans Crossroads Slopes13 Jim Branch/Buckhorn Creek Forests14 Lake Johnson Nature Park15 Lake Mirl Granitic Flatrocks16 Lake Raleigh Hardwood Forest17 Little Beaverdam Creek Slopes18 Little River Aquatic Habitat19 Marks Creek Floodplain20 Middle Creek Aquatic Habitat21 Middle Creek Bluffs and Floodplain22 Mitchells Mill State Natural Area23 Moccasin Creek Aquatic Habitat24 Neuse River (Clayton) Forests25 New Light Creek Slopes26 Old Still Creek Natural Area27 Old US 64 Granitic Flatrock28 Old Weaver Trail Slopes29 Pulleytown Road Granitic Flatrocks and Beaver Pond30 Richland Creek Hardwood Forest31 Robertsons Pond and Buffalo Creek Floodplain32 Shearon Harris Longleaf Pine Forest33 Six Forks Longleaf Pine Forest34 Southwest Rolesville Granitic Outcrops35 Swift Creek Aquatic Habitat36 Swift Creek Bluffs37 Temple Rock38 The Rocks39 Upper Barton Creek Bluffs and Ravine40 Upper Neuse River Floodplain41 Utley Creek Slopes42 Walnut Creek Bottomland Forests43 Walnut Creek Sumac Site44 White Oak Creek Floodplain45 Wild Cat Hollow46 William B Umstead State Park47 Yates Millpond
Mapping by NC NHP 9/2008
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12
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Raleigh
Fuquay-Varina
Garner
NC-50
US 401
I-40
Cary
Zebulon
US 64
I-540
US 401US 1
US 64
US 70
I-40
US 1
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Natural Areas in 2008
Wake County Natural Areas• Wake County Open Space & Greenways
– Marks Creek Floodplain– Mitchells Mill State Natural Area– Fowlers Mill Creek Granitic Flatrocks– Beaver Creek Floodplain– Pulleytown Road Granitic
Flatrocks– The Rocks– Upper Neuse River
FloodplainSundial lupine
(Lupinis perennis)
Municipalities• City of Raleigh
– Lake Johnson Nature Park– Crabtree Creek Greenway– Greenways and parks along Neuse River (Clayton) Forests– Greenways and parks along Upper Neuse River Floodplain
• Zebulon– Little River Park
• Cary– Hemlock Bluffs Nature Park
• Knightdale– Open Space along Neuse River (Clayton) Forests
• Wendell– Wendell Park - Roberstons Pond and Buffalo Creek Floodplain
Atlantic Pigtoe Mussel(Fusconaia masoni)
Future Inventory Potential
• More likely to be partnership or volunteer-based using WakeNature as a resource
• Survey for Natural Heritage Elements as well as species in the Wildlife Action Plan
• Inventory that is directed to help you meet your objectives and goals
• To assist with the writing of a Management Plan at a specific park
Contact Information
Kristen Sinclair
County Inventory Manager
(919) 715-8687
http://www.ncnhp.org/