Triangle Land Conservancy Highlights Conservation Success In Johnston County

JOHNSTON COUNTY – – Triangle Land Conservancy has protected 999 acres of open and working lands in Johnston County in the last year, marking significant conservation success in one of the fastest-developing counties in the state.

The projects, which are located on 17 different tracts of land throughout the county, range from farmland conservation easements that will protect the county’s active working lands to undeveloped land that will eventually be open to the public as nature preserves.

Highlights from the year include:

• More than 300 acres in the Lowgrounds near Four Oaks that protects both farmland and a bottomland hardwood forest
• More than 90 acres in Selma along the Neuse River that will provide space for trails and future parking to access the Mountains to Sea Trail and East Coast Greenway A historic farm on Middle Creek that is being tended by the fourth generation of family farmers
• Nearly 400 acres along Buffalo Creek in 10 different conservation easements
• Riparian corridor easements and acquisitions along Middle and Swift creeks These landscapes are what make Johnston County special, and the county has been instrumental in making these acquisitions possible for TLC. In just the past three years, the county has provided $1.9 million to support the protection of land valued at more than $20 million.

Johnston County is ranked 19th in the nation for potential farmland loss and is the second-fastest growing county in North Carolina, making these efforts more crucial than ever.

“The County is an invaluable partner in our work,” said Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, Director of Land Protection and Stewardship East at TLC. “We are grateful that Johnston County is invested in making sure the area grows sustainably and protecting its natural resources.”

Hammerbacher said landowners are another key player in the conservation effort. People who decide to protect their land in perpetuity are leaving a legacy for future generations of Johnston County residents.

Although the projects mentioned above are not open to the public, TLC operates two public nature preserves in Johnston County: Flower Hill Nature Preserve and Williamson Farm and Nature Preserve.

Hammerbacher says spring is a particularly beautiful time to visit.

“We encourage people to get out and enjoy these areas that are so unique to Johnston County,” she said. “The cypress swamps of the Lowgrounds and the Catawba rhododendrons at Flower Hill are natural wonders right in our backyard.”