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10 <br />In terms of natural resources, around half of the existing vegetation on the <br />property is mixed-age hardwoods, part of which includes an identified Natural <br />Heritage site, the "New Hope Church Road Basic Forest," in the southwest <br />corner of the property. Another portion of woodlands to the northwest was <br />planted in pine around 20 years ago. Two unnamed streams flow through the <br />property and separate farm fields and forests, with one of the streams feeding a <br />three-acre pond. A wetland "seep" also exists along the eastern edge of the site, <br />north of the existing driveway entrance from NC 86. <br />The cultural and archaeological survey identified and evaluated significant <br />cultural resources located on the property so that they will be protected from <br />development and available for future interpretation of the site. <br />The survey identified six previously unrecorded archaeological sites, including <br />the historic roadbed, the building complex and cemetery, and five "high <br />probability" areas. A summary of the survey findings and report <br />recommendations is provided as Appendix 2. <br />Two sites were determined to be "potentially eligible" for the National Register of <br />Historic Places. The first site, a ceramic scatter, is located north of the large <br />pond, near the northern property boundary. The second site is the former <br />Chapel Hill-Hillsborough roadbed. <br />In addition to the archaeological sites and cultural landscape features, such as <br />agricultural field terracing, the report states that the entire Blackwood Farm <br />property may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places because its <br />"rural historic" and/or "historic vernacular" landscape is representative of the type <br />of farms operating in Orange County during the early-twentieth century, many of <br />which are no longer extant or have lost most of their landscape features due to <br />commercial and or residential development. <br />Challenges and Opportunities <br />When Orange County acquired the Blackwood Farm property in 2001 the site <br />was envisioned as a future park with a combination of recreational and <br />educational uses. The County determined that portions of the forest and open <br />land (agricultural fields) could support a variety of low-impact activities without <br />compromising the more historic features of the property (farmstead, old roadway <br />and scenic vistas) and the more significant natural features including the New <br />Hope Basic Forest natural area. <br />The historic house and farm structures provide unusual opportunities and <br />challenges. The house could, with substantial upgrades, be used for a variety of <br />purposes. The restored farm buildings could include exhibits and demonstration <br />areas showing traditional farming practices from the region. Interpretive signs <br />5 <br />