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Draft 10/8/99 <br />Class 2 -Research Project Land as areas to be retained in their <br />forest state. All 12 of the sites in Duke Forest are within portions. of <br />the forest that are classified as Class 1 or 2 research lands. <br />However, there is no binding agreement that guarantees that the <br />forest study will be adhered to, and there are no easements for <br />perpetual protection. for natural areas located on lands owned by <br />Duke. <br />-~ He Pub 'rr or:N..~..Profit:La d Tr '~ ~ `' <br />y <br />....Eno River State Park 3 <br />....Trian le Land Conservan 6 3 are artial easements <br />....The Nature Conservan 1 <br />.owned b' Public Institufian <br />~ <br />UNC Mason Farm ~ <br />_ Own ' b . Private ~ itution; - ' <br />Duke Universi Duke Forest 12 <br />:" I t O ne `i <br />Private) -owned 35 <br />Seven sites-are located on lands owned by the University of North <br />Carolina. Most of these sites are located on the Botanical Garden or <br />adjacent Mason Farm Preserve property. The University has a .long- <br />standing .policy for protection of these .areas.. However, Like Duke, <br />there is no formal guarantee that these lands will be perpetually <br />protected. <br />Even with 29 sites in some method of protection, there are many <br />natural areas as yet unprotected. There -are also may be many sites <br />not yet identified, whether hrough lack of review or oversight in <br />previous work. The-.new prime forest: areas shown in the 1996 and <br />1999- reports from the Triangle .Land Conservancy (TLC) may <br />contain additional areas not yet identified. <br />Some of the 29 sites in private ownership may be high priorities for <br />public acquisition, ..particularly as filtered through the recent TLC <br />reports. A method for prioritizing and evaluating natural .areas and <br />wildlife habitat will need a set of criteria for review. <br />In the spring of 1999, the Biological.. Resources Committee of the <br />Commission of the Environment considered criteria to these- ends. <br />The following criteria were developed by that group and are <br />recommended by the Commission for the Environment for use. in <br />evaluating potential acquisitions: <br />17 <br />