Southern Forests Project: North Carolina Maps

Roanoke River © TNC/M. Daniels

The Project

This project is part of a larger joint effort between The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Fund and International Paper to protect nearly 220,000 acres of ecologically important forests, rivers and streams in 10 southern states.

In North Carolina, the project protects an area roughly the size of Raleigh. It spans 11 counties and encompasses four distinct landscapes: the Roanoke, Upper Tar and Chowan Rivers in northeastern North Carolina, and Juniper Creek in the state’s far southeastern tip.

While the sheer acreage is impressive, the strategic value is equally important. The lands are all in priority landscapes where the Conservancy and the state have been working for many years. They all connect to previously protected lands, so this purchase will create critical corridors for wildlife. Finally, because they were in private ownership, most of these lands had previously been unavailable to the general public and will now be opened to hunters, hikers, paddlers and birdwatchers.