Each month, thirty-plus staff members of the North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy meet in Durham, with another twelve calling in from project offices across the state. Their discussions might include ongoing land protection efforts, new projects to address global warming or a collaborative effort to secure state funding for conservation.

In 1977, the fledgling North Carolina Chapter could have held a similar meeting to celebrate the creation of the Green Swamp Preserve or discuss the progress of the new North Carolina Natural Heritage Program—though the two people on staff would not have needed much space to gather.

While much has changed over the intervening thirty years and nearly 700,000 acres, the North Carolina Chapter continues to operate under a single directive: preserve the plants and animals that make our state unique by protecting the mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, savannas, swamps and dunes those species need to survive. Over that time, the staff, trustees and volunteers have learned a lot about what works, what doesn’t and how to adapt to changing circumstances.

In celebration of the Chapter’s 30th Anniversary, we take a look at some of the projects that changed the way The Nature Conservancy works in North Carolina—and that brought about its most outstanding achievements.

Early Preserves: Anchoring Landscapes
Within five years of its inception, the North Carolina Chapter had acquired several tracts that, to this day are among its most recognized preserves: the Green Swamp, Bluff Mountain, Nags Head Woods and Bat Cave. Each of these places had been long recognized for its unique biological attributes. The Green Swamp is home to rare animals, carnivorous plants and some of the best remaining longleaf pine savanna in the entire country. Bluff supports more than 450 species of plants and provides nesting habitat for a number of migratory songbird species. Nags Head Woods harbors a rare example of maritime deciduous forest nestled between two of the largest active sand dunes on the East Coast. Bat Cave is the widely considered the largest granite fissure cave in North America, and is home to rare amphibians and endangered bats.

While each of these projects was important and well worth protecting for its own biological value, the benefit of hindsight shows how critical an initial foothold can be to the Conservancy’s long-term efforts.

Take Bat Cave, for example. The Conservancy entered into a management agreement on 100 acres surrounding the cave in 1981, as a way to protect the unique flora and fauna of this tiny tract of land in Hickory Nut Gorge, just south of Asheville. But its presence in the area slowly grew, a long-term protection plan began to take shape and today the Conservancy manages a preserve system encompassing more than 4,000 acres in Hickory Nut Gorge. The North Carolina Chapter was also instrumental in laying the groundwork for what will soon be the region’s first state park, Chimney Rock State Park. 

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge: Going Big 

Trust Funds: Public Support for Conservation

Grandfather Mountain: The Conservation Easement

Gorges State Park and South Mountains Game Land: Collaborative Conservation

The Sandhills: Working with the Military

The Roanoke River: Adaptive Management

International Paper: Targets of Opportunity

The Next Thirty Years (and Beyond)
And there you have it: a look back at some of the projects that have helped define what The Nature Conservancy is in 2007. There are exciting new challenges on the way, from climate adaptation work on the Albemarle Peninsula to a new landscape project office opening up on the Onslow Bight to large-scale conservation in the northwest mountains. With the experience of the past 30 years, and the support of all who care about our state’s natural heritage, the Conservancy is looking forward to those challenges.

Who knows what the monthly staff meeting will look like in 2037? The office may be different, the staff may be larger but you can be sure that one thing will be the same: The Nature Conservancy will be working hard to fulfill its mission of protecting the lands and waters that make our state so special. And we hope you’ll join us for the adventure.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Run Hill on North Carolina's Outer Banks © J. LaPoint; American robin © M. Daniels