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Change in acres under protection 19894999 The current protected acreage reflects important advances made in the past decade in the realm of protection, through purchases by the Triangle Land Conservancy , through conservation easements , through acquisition by Duke University , and through expansion of the Eno River State Park to include Occoneechee Mountain . However, during this same time interval , the threat to the remainder of the County' s forest has increased substantially due to residential development and suburban sprawl . We feel the County should aim for a goal of having at least 10 % of its land, or 25 , 600 acres , in some form of protected status within the next 10 years . Although an ambitious goal , the CfE feels it is reasonable and achievable if the proposed increases in state and federal funds for open space acquisition become available to supplement local government funds dedicated for this purpose . (Without an increase in state and federal funds , a goal of 10 % in 15 years would still be achievable . ) Also , it is important that the ERCD document changes in land status , in order to provide a metric of progress towards obtaining this conservation goal . State of our watersheds The watersheds of Orange County have received increasing conservation attention over the past two decades and generally have maintained or improved many aspects of water quality over this time interval . The presence of rare or uncommon freshwater mussels in many of our streams are evidence of the clean water found in these waterways . Eno River : The Eno River Association, in conjunction with the Eno River State Park, has increased the area under protection along the lower Eno River . The addition of Occoneechee Mountain to the park was a substantial gain for Eno protection . In addition , the Eno River Association is currently developing a plan for the Upper Eno . Little River : Durham County is presently developing a protection plan for the Little River Corridor in Durham County . Durham' s inventory indicates the presence of three rare freshwater mussel species in the Little River, at least one of which is a candidate for federal listing, and the presence of these species in Orange County is corroborated by data from the NC Natural Heritage Program . This is biological evidence of the fine quality of water in the Little River and testimony to the need to maintain this quality . New Hope Creek : The New Hope Corridor Master Plan has led to increased security of maintaining water quality in New Hope Creek, in large part due to the efforts of the Triangle Land Conservancy and Duke Forest . This plan could serve as a model for a plan for other river systems in the County, such as the Little River . Cane Creek, University Lake and other municipal water sources : As public water supply sources , Cane Creek and University Lake receive some protection from OWASA' s efforts . OWASA ' s plans for considerable increased land acquisition for watershed protection should be 5