57 acres acquired on Fishing Creek in Nash County

June 5, 2015

Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC) recently completed the purchase of 57 acres on Fishing Creek.  The project received generous funding support from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation, and the NC Attorney General’s Environmental Enhancement Grant Program.  The project is the latest to be completed by TRLC and these long-time partners who have worked together to preserve extensive forested habitats along Fishing Creek over the last decade.

NealeyTract-photo1TRLC’s newest property on Fishing Creek, known as the “Nealey Tract,” is located at the northernmost tip of Nash County near NC Highway 561.  The land was purchased from a local timber company, who agreed not to harvest the hardwood trees found onsite while funds were raised for the purchase.  In March 2015, a group of hearty volunteers helped TRLC’s staff collect trash and tires that had floated onto the property during past flooding of Fishing Creek.  Since 2012, TRLC has purchased five tracts on Fishing Creek – the largest tributary of the Tar River – to protect water quality and to conserve habitat for endangered fish and wildlife species that reside in the creek.

NealeyTract-photo2“We hope to provide guided nature walks on our new Fishing Creek property for the community in the future,” said Derek Halberg, TRLC’s Executive Director.  “This tract hosts a wide diversity of trees, native wildflowers, and wildlife.  We are so thankful to the landowner and our funding partners for allowing us to protect this special tract of land forever as a natural area.”

To view photos of the Nealey Tract, please visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/tarriverlandconservancy/sets/72157650944822845.

To view photos of the volunteer cleanup held at the Nealey Tract in March 2015, please visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/tarriverlandconservancy/sets/72157651631071286.