Agenda - 06-06-2017 - 8-f - Request for Funding Assistance – Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc.

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3 Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc.BNOR ff1 TI NA R NC L Wr the 501(c)(3) support organization of the North Carolina Botanical Garden Orange County Board of County Commissioners Dear Commissioners: April 24, 2017 The Orange County Lands Legacy Program has long-recognized the biological and ecological significance of North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) properties, such as the Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Laurel Hill Nature Preserve, and the Parker Preserve in the Inventory of the Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats of Orange County(1988, 2004). The Orange County 2030 Comprehensive Plan further emphasizes the high importance of natural area protection,which clearly states in Objective NA-15: Protect land in and around biologically significant areas,and connections between these areas,to allow for the maintenance of native wildlife and plant populations and their functional relationships. The aforementioned contiguous NCBG natural areas total 600 acres and connect to the 42,000- acre New Hope Gameland to the south.Three undeveloped privately owned parcels adjacent to the NCBG nature preserves, which complete the upland link to the Gameland, are specifically recognized as conservation priorities by the Orange County Lands Legacy Program, and are vulnerable to development. One of these, the Cochrane property(and the smallest at 12.8 acres), is now listed for sale with a local real estate company.The Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc. (BGF)—the non-profit support organization for the North Carolina Botanical Garden—has submitted a Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) application in the 2017 cycle for Cochrane property purchase. The Cochrane property ranks as "exceptional" by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program for its Natural Heritage value, which enabled it to score very highly by the CWMTF.The CWMTF application and supporting documents are attached for your information. Please note that the budget information in the application Scope of Work is speculative.We are actually requesting$550,000 from the CWMTF based on a second appraisal, which is currently in preparation. The Cochrane property is in Orange County, but in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction of Chapel Hill. If purchased, the Cochrane property will be added to the Parker Preserve. If sold to a developer, a significant natural area will be lost. (An application for subdivision by the Cochrane family is currently under review by the Orange County Planning Department.) Although the Cochrane property ranked high for CWMTF funding, it lacks a significant match, which is crucial for a successful proposal.The BGF is able to provide$25,000 toward match and we ask that Orange County contribute $100,000. We are also requesting a match from the Town of Chapel Hill. Our request is very time-sensitive, as the commitment for match must be submitted to the CWMTF by June 1, 2017. We look forward to presenting our funding request to the Board of County Commissioners at your earliest available date. Please direct all communications to Johnny Randall (jrandall @unc.edu), the Director of Conservation Programs at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.