Dominion Foundation Donates $100,000 to The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina

Gift to go toward Nags Head Woods Preserve

Dominion check presentation to TNC

NAGS HEAD, NC — January 30, 2009 — The Nature Conservancy announced today the Dominion Foundation awarded a $100,000 gift to help advance its conservation work in North Carolina. The Dominion Foundation is the charitable arm of Dominion Power.

“Dominion is very pleased to be able to partner with The Nature Conservancy in this way. These folks have an impressive history and a sustainable future with regard to managing our valued natural resources,” said Bryant Brooks, Senior Manager of External Affairs for Dominion North Carolina Power. “It is important to them. It is important to us. This partnership provides an on going example of how energy supply, the environment, the public, and local government all benefit mutually as we develop creative and responsible ways to work together.”

“Nags Head Woods is very special place,” said Aaron McCall, manager of the Conservancy’s Nags Head Wood Preserve. “This contribution will help us build a trail for people with disabilities, so they can experience this beautiful spot firsthand.”

Nags Head Woods was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974, and protecting its unique habitats was one of the Conservancy’s first priorities in North Carolina. Working with the towns and other partners, The Nature Conservancy has succeeded in protecting this fragile ecosystem, overseeing both terrestrial and marine research and monitoring programs and providing trails for visitors to enjoy.

Nags Head Woods features a diversity of plant and animal life that is unusual to find on a barrier island. Towering oaks, hickories, and beech trees—some hundreds of years old—rise from the sand and create a canopy of trees more typical of the mountains of the eastern United States. Over 100 species of birds have been documented at Nags Head Woods. Fifteen species of amphibians and 28 species of reptiles have been documented as well. The freshwater ponds are inhabited by seven species of fish and many reptiles and amphibians in addition to a great diversity of floating aquatic plant life, including the rare water violet. An extensive marsh system bordering Roanoke Sound on the western side of the preserve supports a wealth of wildlife including river otter, egrets, herons, and many species of migratory waterfowl.

The Nags Head Woods gift was part of $1.1 million the Dominion Foundation contributed to Nature Conservancy projects. The Warm Springs Mountain Preserve in Virginia and the Bear Rocks Preserve in West Virginia will also receive support from the foundation.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. The North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and its 28,000 members have protected nearly 700,000 acres in the state. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/northcarolina.