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RES-2020-040 Attachment 1 <br /> <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> <br />RESOLUTION <br /> <br />Approval of Conservation Easement <br />between <br />Orange County <br />and <br />Triangle Land Conservancy <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Orange County has adopted goals that promote the preservation of natural <br />areas, wildlife habitat, prime farmland, and open space in the County; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Orange County established the Lands Legacy Program for the purpose of <br />protecting the most significant natural and cultural resources through partnerships with <br />landowners and other conservation entities; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, one component of the Lands Legacy Program is the acquisition of conservation <br />easements on riparian buffers within water supply watersheds; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Triangle Land Conservancy’s Patterson-Thornton property includes <br />approximately 54 acres in the University Lake protected watershed and 3,250 linear feet of <br />Morgan Creek, which drains directly to University Lake—a drinking water supply reservoir for <br />the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the Patterson Thornton Property contains a significant portion of the high priority <br />Calvander Laurel Bluff and Bottom listed in the State Natural Heritage Area Inventory; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Triangle Land Conservancy, the owners of the Patterson-Thornton property, <br />wishes to grant a permanent conservation easement to Orange County, which will protect the <br />forested riparian corridors on the property; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, a conservation easement on this approximately 54 acres would ensure the <br />preservation of this forested property and stream buffers for future generations; <br /> <br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />does hereby 1) accept on behalf of Orange County the conservation easement for land <br />owned by Triangle Land Conservancy; 2) approve the execution of this conservation <br />easement agreement with Triangle Land Conservancy, in accordance with the terms of the <br />proposed easement agreement, subject to final review by staff and the County Attorney; 3) <br />authorize the Chair and the Clerk to sign the easement agreement on behalf of the Board, <br />with a closing to occur on or about June 30, 2020; and 4) authorize County staff to sign any <br />and all closing documents upon consultation with the County Attorney. <br /> <br />BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board thanks Triangle Land Conservancy for their <br />civic-minded granting of this conservation easement through the Lands Legacy Program. <br /> <br />This the 16th day of June, 2020. <br />____________________________________________ <br />Penny Rich, Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />_____________________________ <br />Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board <br />3