[at-l] North Carolina Protects Endangered Plants

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NORTH CAROLINA PRESERVE PROTECTS ENDANGERED PLANTSCHARLOTTE, North Carolina, 
January 15, 2002 (ENS) - Another 239 acres of the Tater Hill Lake Basin in 
North Carolina have been permanently protected by the Trust for Public Land 
as part of an ongoing effort to preserve this entire rare highland bog 
ecosystem. The lake basin has been a state preservation priority since the 
1980's, when it was first threatened with development. The basin lies at the 
headwaters of the New River in the Amphibolite Mountains, providing unique 
wetland habitat for two endangered plant species, the long stalked holly and 
Gray's lily, and two species considered endangered in the state of North 
Carolina, the linear leaf willow-herb and swamp saxifrage. The land will be 
added to an ecological research preserve created last year when the Trust for 
Public Land (TPL) purchased 158 acres now managed by Appalachian State 
University. TPL partnered with the Plant Conservation Program of the North 
Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to buy the 239 acre 
tract from the Replogle family. The family has now sold two properties in the 
Tater Hill Lake Basin to TPL. "The Plant Conservation Program appreciates the 
work of TPL and is glad to be a partner on this project to protect these 
unique plants and their habitat," said Hollis Wild, chair of the Plant 
Conservation Program Board. The North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund 
provided funding for the protection of the property. Studies being conducted 
at the Tater Hill preserve include: analysis of plant and bird life, research 
into historic patterns of forestation, and excavation of Native American and 
early European settlements. A study of the reptile and amphibian populations 
is also planned, as is a complete survey of the property. "We were delighted 
that the Replogle family chose to work with TPL again to protect this unique 
part of our state's natural heritage," said TPL project manager Maggie 
Clancy. "We look forward to a long partnership with them as we continue our 
work in the Amphibolite range." Tater Hill lies at the southernmost end of 
the Amphibolite Mountains, which are the focus of a comprehensive 
conservation effort among the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, 
and local conservation organizations, including the High Country Conservancy. 
The conservation groups are working to acquire land along the full length of 
the corridor and create a protected area of several thousand acres. 
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<A HREF="http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-15-09.html";>Environment News Service: AmeriScan: January 15, 2002</A> 


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