Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
40 <br />Pre en e o Natural Areas <br />Points <br />Wildlife corridor system 10.0 <br />Site(s) of State significance 7.5 <br />Site(s) of regional significance 5.0 <br />Site(s) of county significance 2.5 <br />No significant natural areas 0.0 <br />In the Inventory of the Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats of <br />Orange Count -N.C., a wildlife corridor system was proposed to <br />connect larger natural areas and wildlife habitats. Such a network <br />Of undeveloped areas along stream corridors, inaccessible to the <br />public, provides additional habitat and a means for animal <br />populations to move between food sources, thus insuring their <br />survival. Because wildlife corridors include significant individual <br />sites, they are assigned the highest number of points - 10. <br />"Significance" refers to the presence of an important <br />biological or geomorphic element on a site and the rarity of that <br />element. Three levels of significance - State, regional, and county <br />- have been identified, based on the ranking system presented by <br />the Triangle Land Conservancy. <br />Sites of State significance have been recognized by the N.C. <br />Natural Heritage Program as natural areas which possess outstanding <br />natural features such as a very rare plant or animal, or one of the <br />best examples of a community type or geomorphic feature in the <br />state. Sites of regional significance possess outstanding natural <br />features or rare plant or animal species, and are one of the best <br />examples of such a site in the eastern Piedmont. <br />Sites of county significance are the most significant sites <br />within the county, although similar sites may occur in other <br />counties. It may or may not contain a rare plant or animal species <br />but is considered to be the best of its type in the county. It may <br />also be an example of a habitat or community that is representative <br />of the overall natural diversity of the county. <br />Presence of Historic Sites <br />In 1986, the Planning Department prepared An. of <br />Site o ral Historic— Recreational. 'o10 ical and <br />solo 'ca 'gni ante i the Unincorporated Portions Oran e <br />ount , a.- Ii of .some. 350 sites and structures which embody the <br />county's historic and cultural heritage. A number of these sites <br />were surveyed again in greater detail and included in the Inventory <br />-of -the atu al Areal and Wildlife Habitats of O a a Count N.C. <br />Of the remaining sites, a number are listed in the National <br />Register of Historic Places, the nation's basic inventory of <br />historic properties deemed to be significant in American history, <br />architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. Such sites are <br />noteworthy because they are: <br />S <br />