1. Wake Nature Preserves Partnership Presentation to the Municipal Park Directors Of Wake County 2008 October 2

2. Who are we? NC Museum of Natural Sciences NC Natural Heritage Program NC State University NC Wildlife Resources Commission Triangle Land Conservancy Wake Audubon Wake County Environmental Services Wake County Parks, Recreation, & Open Space

3. Our Mission The mission of the Wake County Nature Preserves Partnership is to organize and provide resources to identify ecologically valuable, protected open spaces within Wake County and to build capacity for appropriate, long-term stewardship of those areas.

4. Why are we doing this? “Dependent groups” and other users of natural areas in parks and open spaces would like them protected. County and municipalities have invested in these natural areas, but funding for stewardship is limited. We’d like to help leverage the substantial, untapped resources we have in this region.

5. Our aim: best practice conservation management Natural resources inventories Management plans Active stewardship

6. Other Places Doing This Charlotte / Mecklenberg, NC Chicago Wilderness Consortium, IL Cleveland Metro Parks, OH East Bay Regional Parks, Oakland, CA Fairfax County Parks, VA Marin County Parks, CA

7. What are we doing now? Developing criteria for classifying natural areas. Piloting our ideas by partnering with Wake County. Planning database for all Wake County open space. Developing service-learning connections with NCSU. Seeking additional partners and volunteers.

8. Nature Preserves Criteria Exceptional Natural Areas Natural Heritage Program sites Outstanding Natural Areas Natural Heritage landscape core areas NC Wildlife Action Plan Priority Species Habitat Natural Areas Buffer Exceptional & Outstanding Natural Areas Potential for restoration

9. Nature Preserves Criteria For each category … definition management priorities recommendations for appropriate alterations recommendations for public access

10. Exceptional Natural Areas MAP

11. Exceptional Natural Areas Jurisdiction# ParcelsJurisdiction# Parcels Cary4Rolesville1 Garner1Wake County19 Holly Springs1Wake Forest8 Knightdale1Wendell2 Raleigh51Zebulon2

12. Exceptional Natural Areas Many parcels are part of same natural area. Crabtree Creek Aquatic Habitat 15 Raleigh parcels Upper Neuse River Floodplain 17 Raleigh parcels 8 Wake Forest parcels

13. Demonstration Project: Marks Creek Establish an example process for later efforts to emulate or learn from. Started inventory in February, 2008. Goal is a draft management plan in late 2009. Chris Snow will talk about this.

14. People we’d like to involve You and your staffs. Volunteers and interns. NCSU students and faculty.

15. What are we asking of you? Open a conversation. What do you think of this idea? How can we work together? What would you like to see or do next?

16. Contact Information George Hess :: NC State University 919.515.7437 :: george_hess@ncsu.edu Gary Blank :: NC State University 919.515.7566 :: gary_blank@ncsu.edu Chris Snow :: Wake County Parks, Recreation, & Open Space 919.856.6677 :: csnow@co.wake.nc.us Jamie Ramsey :: Wake Open Space & Parks Advisory Committee 919.821.9059 :: cadra4@aol.com