Agenda - 08-31-2006-2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 2 ao other pending projects in the current Lands Legacy Action Plan that would further add protected lands along the Eno. Looking at the larger picture and emerging opportunities, there appears to now be potential for expanding the Seven -Mile Creels Preserve concept northward to the Upper Eno, creating a larger Upper Eno Preserve network of lands along the Eno and its main tributaries. Likewise, opportunities may exist for expansion of the New Hope Preserve westward along the headwaters of New Hope Creels in conjunction with Duke Forest and other conservation partners. Further study and formalization of this concept may also assist other County goals, including watershed protection and growth management. For example, a Nature Preserve could also work in tandem with a Transfer of Development Rights program, if implemented in the future, as a possible "sending area." Considerable additional detail is needed for these projects, including formal inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan, how public access would work, and what lands would be priorities for possible acquisition from willing landowners, to further the creation of such nature preserves. A draft Interim Stewardship Plan for the Seven -Mile Creels Preserve (as has already been prepared and presented for the Blackwood Farm property), has been created and will be presented to the Board in August/September. Recommendation Staff proposes to create a report during FY 2006 -07 that explores the potential for an expanded Upper Eno Nature Preserve of natural areas and open space lands, including priority lands generally from the West Fork Reservoir /Lake Orange area south to the Seven -Mile Creek lands. The report would also assess possibilities for expansion of the New Hope Preserve westward along New Hope Creek. The report would further refine the components and characteristics of a Nature Preserve, which could accomplish a variety of different goals. This would be consistent with the work accomplished to date on the Natural Areas Component of the planned Natural and Cultural Systems Element of the Comprehensive Plan, and the recommendations of the State of the Environment reports of 2002 and 2004. In addition, the report would address the mechanisms for working with landowners and potential partners, and explore appropriate locations for public access areas. Possible interactions with other County goals, including transfer of development rights and watershed protection, would be explored with the assistance of County staff. Finally, the report could also examine whether the potential for other nature preserves exists for current protected lands in the County, and look at nature preserve programs in other counties around the Unites States.