2003 NS ERCD - - Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill Acceptance of Conservation Easement Assignment from the Triangle Land Conservancy and Chapel Hill

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 18, 2003 Action Agenda Item No. ~_ /'ev, secp SUBJECT: Acceptance of Conservation Easement Assignment from the Triangle Land Conservancy- Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No Conservation ATTACHMENT A. Location Map B. Property Map C. Conservation Easement D' Conservation Easement Assignment ;' (Triangle Land Conservancy to County) E. Conservation Easement Assignment (County to State of North. Carolina) INFORMATION CONTACT: David Stancil, 245-2590 Rich Shaw, 245-2591 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To authorize acceptance of a conservation easement assignment from the Triangle Land Conservancy for land owned by Trinity School along New Hope Creek, and the subsequent assignment of the easement to the State of North Carolina. BACKGROUND: The Lands Legacy Program, adopted in April 2000, works with landowners and other conservation partners to protect the County's most important natural and cultural resources. Through this program, the County uses a variety of voluntary means to protect lands, including fee-simple acquisition, acceptance of land donations, and purchase or donation of conservation easements. The types of land protected include parkland, natural areas and wildlife habitat, riparian buffers, prime farmland and historic and cultural sites. Since inception, Lands Legacy has protected 860 acres of resource lands in Orange County. ERCD is working with Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) to acquire riparian lands and conservation easements for an open space corridor along New Hope Creek from the site of the former Hollow Rock Store (Ervin Road) to the Durham County line - a distance of nearly one mile along the creek. This project would link Duke Forest lands in Orange County to New Hope Creek open space in Durham County. The proposed trail will help implement the New Hope Creek Master Plan, adopted in 1989. TLC has negotiated the purchase of a conservation easement on 14.67 acres adjacent to New Hope Creek owned by the Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill. The easement will allow future construction of a public pedestrian trail along the creek and nature trails for use by the school for environmental education.