Duke Energy Donates $1 Million to The Nature Conservancy

Gift will fund climate change research on North Carolina’s coast

RALEIGH — March 3, 2009 — The Nature Conservancy today announced that Duke Energy is donating $1 million for climate change research and adaptation on North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. The pilot project will focus on the effect of rising sea levels on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

“This is valuable work that will help all of coastal North Carolina and the country adapt fragile coastal areas to rising sea levels,” said Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers. “This is the kind of groundbreaking research that helps us learn more about climate change and will make a positive difference in our future.”

North Carolina’s coast is considered particularly vulnerable to climate change because it is so long and flat. A 2008 study by the University of Maryland identified North Carolina’s coast as one of the country’s most vulnerable areas to climate change.

“The Nature Conservancy and its conservation partners have a big investment in the Albemarle Peninsula, protecting more than half a million acres there in 30 years of work,” said Katherine Skinner, executive director of The Nature Conservancy’s North Carolina Field Office. “Duke Energy’s generous gift will help us protect that investment against rising sea levels.”

Rising sea levels have already changed the area, which is valuable habitat for an array of wildlife, including black bears, red wolves and migratory songbirds. Peat soils are degrading, and plants and trees have died as saltwater has pushed into the area. If nothing is done to adapt the area to rising sea levels, researchers estimate that one million acres could be lost within 100 years.

The Conservancy’s climate change adaptation project will make the fragile shoreline more resilient to encroaching seas. Adaptations will include planting marsh grasses and restoring wetlands as a buffer to rising sea levels and building oyster reefs to absorb wave activity. It will also include plugging canals and ditches to restore the region’s natural hydrology and limit saltwater intrusion.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.