More than 80 acres of land has been donated to Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC) in recognition of Earth Day, which was April 22, the preservation group announced.
The new tract – 83 acres along Smith Creek in southern Granville County – adjoins a 158-acre tract purchased by TRLC in 2018, according to Derek Halberg, TRLC Executive Director. The property, now 241 acres in size, will be managed by TRLC as the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve.
“It is very timely,” Halberg said of the donation. “This land plus a significant financial contribution were gifted by Mark and Tara Rein of Raleigh.” The plan is to start building hiking trails on TRLC’s Horseshoe Road property in the fall of 2021.
“This gift will ensure that the land remains permanently undeveloped,” Hallberg said in a press release to WIZS News. He described the property as a combination of hardwood and pine forest and marshy wetlands, which offers refuge for waterfowl and water birds.
In addition to wildlife benefits, the land donation will protect drinking water for downstream communities.
The property has 0.6 miles of frontage on Smith Creek, one of several large Granville County streams that flows into the Falls Lake Reservoir. Falls Lake supplies drinking water to the City of Raleigh and six nearby communities.
The newly donated tract allows the conservancy to expand the trail network currently planned for public use. Trail construction at the Horseshoe Road Nature Preserve is expected to begin in October 2021 and to be completed in time to open two miles of trails to the public in June 2022.
TRLC will begin publicizing opportunities for the community to get involved with the project this summer. To receive notices about volunteer opportunities, individuals are encouraged to contact TRLC at volunteer@tarriver.org or 919-496-5902.
Tar River Land Conservancy is a nationally-accredited land trust that preserves natural resources across an eight-county region of North Carolina – Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Nash, Person, Vance, and Warren counties.
Since 2000, TRLC has protected 22,267 acres of land and 190 miles of streams. To learn more, please visit www.tarriver.org.