Wake Nature Preserves Partnership

Presentation to the Municipal Park Directors

Of Wake County

2008 October 2

Who are we?NC Museum of Natural Sciences

NC Natural Heritage Program

NC State University

NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Triangle Land Conservancy

Wake Audubon

Wake County Environmental Services

Wake County Parks, Recreation, & Open Space

Our Mission

The mission of the Wake County Nature Preserves Partnership is to organize and provide resources to identify ecologically valuable, protected open spaces within Wake County and to build capacity for appropriate, long-term stewardship of those areas.

Why are we doing this?

“Dependent groups” and other users of natural areas in parks and open spaces would like them protected.

County and municipalities have invested in these natural areas, but funding for stewardship is limited.

We’d like to help leverage the substantial, untapped resources we have in this region.

Our aim: best practice conservation management

Natural resources inventories

Management plans

Active stewardship

Other Places Doing This

Charlotte / Mecklenberg, NC

Chicago Wilderness Consortium, IL

Cleveland Metro Parks, OH

East Bay Regional Parks, Oakland, CA

Fairfax County Parks, VA

Marin County Parks, CA

What are we doing now?Developing criteria for classifying natural areas.

Piloting our ideas by partnering with Wake County.

Planning database for all Wake County open space.

Developing service-learning connections with NCSU.

Seeking additional partners and volunteers.

Nature Preserves CriteriaExceptional Natural Areas• Natural Heritage Program sites

Outstanding Natural Areas• Natural Heritage landscape core areas• NC Wildlife Action Plan Priority Species Habitat

Natural Areas• Buffer Exceptional & Outstanding Natural Areas• Potential for restoration

Nature Preserves Criteria

For each category …• definition• management priorities• recommendations for appropriate alterations• recommendations for public access

Exceptional Natural Areas

MAP

Exceptional Natural AreasJurisdiction # Parcels Jurisdiction # Parcels

Cary 4 Rolesville 1

Garner 1 Wake County 19

Holly Springs 1 Wake Forest 8

Knightdale 1 Wendell 2

Raleigh 51 Zebulon 2

Exceptional Natural Areas

Many parcels are part of same natural area.

Crabtree Creek Aquatic Habitat•15 Raleigh parcels

Upper Neuse River Floodplain•17 Raleigh parcels•8 Wake Forest parcels

Demonstration Project: Marks Creek

Establish an example process for later efforts to emulate or learn from.

Started inventory in February, 2008.

Goal is a draft management plan in late 2009.

Chris Snow will talk about this.

People we’d like to involvePeople we’d like to involve

You and your staffs.

Volunteers and interns.

NCSU students and faculty.

What are we asking of you?

Open a conversation.

What do you think of this idea?

How can we work together?

What would you like to see or do next?

Contact Information

George Hess :: NC State University

919.515.7437 :: george_hess@ncsu.edu

Gary Blank :: NC State University

919.515.7566 :: gary_blank@ncsu.edu

Chris Snow :: Wake County Parks, Recreation, & Open Space

919.856.6677 :: csnow@co.wake.nc.us

Jamie Ramsey :: Wake Open Space & Parks Advisory Committee

919.821.9059 :: cadra4@aol.com