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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: February 9, 2006 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. -Gi <br />SUBJECT: Resolution Honoring Allen Lloyd and Evelyn Lloyd <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT <br />Resolution <br />Location Map <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245 -2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245 -2591 <br />PURPOSE: To recognize Allen Lloyd and Evelyn Lloyd for their role in protecting a highly <br />important natural area on Occoneechee Mountain. <br />BACKGROUND: Occoneechee Mountain is one of the most important landmarks in Orange <br />County. With an elevation of 867 feet above sea level, the summit of Occoneechee <br />Mountain is the highest point in the Triangle Region. The summit is part of a high ridge that <br />rises over 350 feet above the Eno River and is visible from many locations around <br />Hillsborough. <br />Occoneechee Mountain's unusual assemblage of plants and animals also makes it one of <br />the most important natural areas in the Triangle Region, The NC Natural Heritage Program <br />recognizes this site as a natural area of state significance. <br />Efforts to protect Occoneechee Mountain began in the early 1960s when Allen Lloyd and his <br />wife Pauline Lloyd purchased 66 acres located adjacent to the summit. The Lloyds were <br />concerned that mining and forestry activities would cause irreparable damage to the <br />mountain. Their property included the site known locally as Panther's Den, which is one of <br />the more ecologically significant areas on the mountain. <br />The Lloyd's actions were followed by other efforts to protect critical sections of the mountain. <br />In 1987, Cone Mills donated 28 acres adjacent to the Eno River to the Town of Hillsborough. <br />From 1997 -99, the State of North Carolina, with assistance from The Nature Conservancy <br />and the Eno River Association, purchased 96 acres adjacent to the Town property. The <br />State established the Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area and developed facilities for <br />low- impact public use and enjoyment. In 1999, Hillsborough native Elizabeth Matheson <br />donated another 14 acres to the Eno River Association. <br />