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<br />Page 12 of 24 <br /> <br />9. Are the impacted residents already aware of the <br />potential positive and negative impacts of your <br />project and the steps you are taking? If not, <br />please describe your plan to engage with them <br />and how you will act based on their input. <br />We plan to host a community information session at <br />the Confluence prior to the start of this project. This <br />will give the local community an opportunity to ask <br />questions about our work as well as provide us with <br />guidance on the community's needs as it relates to <br />this project. We hope to partner with local farmers <br />that may benefit from these pollinator habitats. One <br />such farm is Sankofa Farm where we intend to <br />engage with them to see if our preserve would be a <br />good location for their growing honeybee operation. <br />To establish and maintain the Piedmont prairies, we <br />will be conducting prescribed burns every two to <br />three years. Prior to the burns, we will send postcards <br />to neighbors within a one-mile radius informing them <br />of the scheduled prescribed burn and providing them <br />with educational information about burns and <br />contact information if they have questions. We will <br />also add educational information to the kiosk at the <br />Confluence and the Eno River Association’s website, <br />socials, and newsletters about the work we are doing <br />at the Confluence. <br />10. During and after the project, what will your <br />continued engagement with the impacted <br />community be? <br />In 2023, we hired our first Community Engagement <br />Manager. This position is responsible for engaging <br />with communities in Durham and Orange counties <br />with a particular focus on underserved and <br />underrepresented communities. Engagement with <br />the local farming community, with a focus on <br />indigenous and farmers of color, will continue with <br />our Community Engagement Manager in hopes to <br />establish a trusting relationship and potential <br />partnerships. <br />11. Please describe any other aspect of your project <br />that is relevant to Social Justice, Environmental <br />Justice and Racial Equity. <br />The Confluence Natural Area is partially contained <br />within the Occaneechi-Saponi State Designated Tribal <br />Statistical Area. This land is the traditional and <br />ancestral homelands of the Eno, Shakori, Sissipahaw, <br />Occaneechi, other people of Siouan descent, and <br />their descendants, the Occaneechi Band of the <br />Saponi Nation. Piedmont prairies or southern <br />grasslands were once a large part of the Piedmont. <br />These landscapes were formed by grazing large <br />herbivores such as elk and bison and by fire. A <br />significant proportion of fires were started and <br />controlled by the Indigenous population. Fire has <br />been used as an agricultural management tool <br />Docusign Envelope ID: 044C3299-6F90-4782-B8F5-C4A7339F0897