Agenda 03-19-24; 4-a - Eno-New Hope Landscape Conservation Plan Presentation

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2 Funding was secured from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, with additional support from Orange County, to hire a consultant to conduct the spatial analysis, research the data, and create the analysis layers and associated maps. Through collaborative brainstorming sessions, three keystone species were identified to best represent their distinctive habitats and other associated animals, as well as their corridor, or connectivity, requirements. These species and their respective habitats are as follows: - Eastern Box Turtle (Dry-Wet Mixed Hardwood-Pine Forests) - Bobcat (Sparsely Settled Mixed Habitats) - Four Toed Salamander (Wet-mesic Hardwood Forests) This effort generated enhanced mapping layers that represented the habitat areas for each animal and its associated guild, and these layers were combined with land use layers to create a habitat- corridor analysis. These results and associated recommendations were presented at the 2019 Environmental Summit at the NC Botanical Gardens, hosted by the Commission for the Environment (CFE). The CFE also requested an additional presentation and opportunity for in- depth discussion of recommendations, which was conducted at the CFE's March 2020 meeting. In 2020, the group was awarded a Catalyst Fund grant from the Network for Landscape Conservation to form a strategic action plan to implement the report findings. A coordinator was hired, and a steering committee was formed with representatives from Orange and Durham counties, Eno River Association, Triangle Land Conservancy, Duke University's Duke Forest, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and the NC Botanical Gardens. Over the next two years, the steering committee worked to engage a large group of stakeholders and volunteers from around the study area to draft a strategic action plan outlining actions necessary for ensuring conservation connectivity. Four subcommittee groups were separated by specialty and/or direct interest — Education and Outreach, Land Use, Conservation, and Transportation. The final draft of the action plan was presented at a celebration event in the Robin Jacobs Pavilion at the Eno River Association's Confluence Natural Area in October 2022. The Board of Commissioners received a copy of the report and a cover memorandum in March 2023 as an Information Item. The report attached herein is the same, but an updated map has been attached to reflect updated and included data. In 2023, Durham County, utilizing funds from a Burt's Bees grant program, expanded the report data and mapping area to include the entirety of Durham County, particularly of the Upper Neuse Watershed. This expansion benefitted Orange County by expanding the data and mapping analysis to the northern most areas of the County, leaving only a portion of the Cane Creek and Haw River Watershed as area for an expanded analysis. The findings of the report have significant implications and potential guidance for local conservation programs, such as the County's Lands Legacy Program and other upcoming plans. As such, value was seen in sharing this Strategic Plan with the Board at this time, as local conservation plans are being updated in coming months. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this presentation. The plan itself may offer direction for future conservation efforts and therefore future resource allocation.