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

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4 Clean Water Management Trust Fund Application Narrative SCOPE OF WORK The Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc., (BGF) seeks funding in the amount of$725,000 for the purchase of 12.8 acres, known as the Cochrane property, in the Orange County NC Rural Buffer just outside of the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction of Chapel Hill.The Cochrane property is immediately adjacent to approximately 600 acres of nature preserves administered by the North Carolina Botanical Garden at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.The Cochrane property is also adjacent to the wildlands associated with the approximately 42,000 acres of the Jordan Lake Game Lands. Of the requested grant funds, a match from the BGF ($25,000) and the Town of Chapel Hill ($50,000) are secure. Orange County has been asked to contribute $100,000 toward the match. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND NEED The BGF is the 501c(3) support organization of the North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Founded in 1966, the BGF is also a land trust that holds 212 acres of nature preserves and 115 acres of conservation easements,which are contiguous and immediately adjacent to the Cochrane property.The Cochrane property, if acquired, would be added to the NCBG/BGF nature preserve system -primarily the 400-acre Mason Farm Biological Reserve (NCBG), the 75-acre Laurel Hill Nature Preserve (BGF), and the 124-acre Parker Preserve (NCBG)—all of which rank"exceptional" by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (Map 1). The Cochrane property was also ranked "exceptional" by NC Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) staff in November, 2016, and subsequently included within the Mason Farm/Laurel Hill Oak-Hickory Forest Natural Area (Map 2). Acquiring the Cochrane property would extend the contiguous NCBG/BGF natural areas and conserve and protect an extraordinarily intact mature Basic Dry Oak-Hickory forest. Not only is Cochrane a high-quality natural area in its own right, but conservation would allow NCBG to make improvements to create safe public access to buffer the conservation lands associated with the Mason Farm/Laurel Hill Oak-Hickory Forest Natural Area from the deleterious effects of urban encroachment. Many of the high quality lands in the area have already been developed, making protection of the remaining natural areas of high priority. If Cochrane is developed with proposed multiple house sites, our ability to create a safe entrance and buffer is lost, and the Parker Preserve is rendered vulnerable to all of the liabilities associated with nearby forest fragmentation and overall housing development. On the landscape scale, the NCBG/BGF lands, and nearly 200 acres of undeveloped private land holdings, including the Cochrane tract, make up the most significant wildlife corridor associated with the Jordan Lake Game Lands and Jordan Lake reservoir.The 12.8-acre Cochrane property is the smallest of the private land holdings, but most vulnerable to development since it is currently listed for sale. Conservation of the above-mentioned private lands is a long-time goal of the Orange County 2030 Comprehensive Plan (2008) and the Lands Legacy Program for Orange County (htt.2.1/www.orangecountync.,.gov/Lands Legacy Progra ....docu ent... df).The Comprehensive Plan calls for the conservation of a network of protected open space that addresses 1) threats to important natural areas; 2) connectivity between protected areas; 3) coordination with neighboring counties; and 4) sustainable management of critical natural resources.