Transcript Slide 1 - WakeNature

Wake Nature Preserves
Partnership
Turnipseed
Update
Goals of WNPP
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To identify and designate as “Wake Nature Preserves”
protected open spaces in Wake County that contain
important ecological or geological resources or meet
other criteria that qualify them for this distinction;
To create more public awareness and appreciation of
our highest quality natural areas in Wake County;
To develop organizational capacity to conduct natural
resource inventories and develop management plans
for Preserves; and
To develop an organized volunteer base of citizenscientists to assist with environmental stewardship
efforts.
Who’s Involved?
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Wake County
City of Raleigh
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
NC Natural Heritage Program
NC State University College of
Natural Resources
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Town of Holly Springs
Triangle Land Conservancy
UNC Herbarium/NC Botanical
Garden
Citizen volunteers
Marks Creek Turnipseed Road Tract
Wake Nature Preserve Demonstration Site
Comprised of four Wake
County owned
parcels, totaling 221.3
acres
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Triangle East
Sportsman’s Club
George Pleasants
Edgerton
Medlin
Why Turnipseed Road is Exceptional
Federally listed species: Michaux’s sumac
 State Natural Heritage species: beaked hazelnut
and others
 NCWAP priority habitats with priority species
 Landscape attributes including rock outcrops,
waterfalls, boulder overlooks, beaver ponds,
unusual wildflowers (lupine)
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Turnipseed accomplishments
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Identified as demonstration site for the Partnership
Served as host site for May ’08 service learning workshop
Marked site boundaries
Mapped important natural and cultural features with GPS
Identified and mapped areas with invasive species for later
removal
Inventoried natural resources, including:
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Generalized plant list
Detailed list of lichens, approx. 200 species
40 species of herps: 17 amphibians; 23 reptiles
120 species of birds
Forest inventory, including growth projections, for all major
forest types (data collected, analysis in process)
Down woody debris inventory (data collected, analysis in
process)
Developed draft management and stewardship plan for this
site, which will serve as a model for others across the County,
along with the “cookbook” in process
Introduction of tiger salamander (in process)
Review and Next steps
1. Inventory (mostly complete)
2. Management Plan (draft almost
complete)
3. Stewardship (on-going)
4. Apply to WNPP for “Wake Nature
Preserve” designation
5. Develop a cookbook of stewardship
recommendations