Photo credit: Virginia Outdoors Foundation
Pierce’s Low Grounds Preserved: 2,808.16 Acres of Ecological Treasure Safeguarded in Greensville County, VA
Greenville, S.C. — February 2, 2024 – In a landmark conservation effort, 2,808.16 acres of Pierce’s Low Grounds in Greensville County, Virginia, have been permanently protected, securing a vital ecological asset for future generations. The property, recognized by the Virginia Department of Forestry with a high-ranking in “Forest Conservation Value,” is now protected from development, thanks to collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships.
The conservation initiative was made possible in part through a grant provided by the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (EFCF), underscoring the commitment to preserving critical habitats and fostering biodiversity. This project exemplifies the power of partnerships in advancing conservation goals.
Key Features of Pierce’s Low Grounds:
- Ecological Significance: The Property, identified as part of the Virginia Piedmont Forest Block complex (Important Bird Area), boasts significant ecological importance. It houses diverse habitats crucial for the sustenance of various species.
- River Frontage: Pierce’s Low Grounds contains approximately 3,900 feet of frontage along the Meherrin River, a tributary of the Chowan River. This strategic location contributes to the protection of water quality in the Meherrin and Chowan Rivers, ultimately benefiting the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary.
- Threatened Species Habitat: Within the property’s boundaries lies habitat critical for threatened species, including Rafinesque’s Eastern Big Eared Bat, Eastern Mudsnake, and Green Floater. Preserving this habitat is a significant step in the conservation of these species.
- Natural Heritage Screening: The Property falls within the Claresville Bottomlands Natural Heritage Screening Conservation Site, further emphasizing its ecological significance and the need for its protection.
Estie Thomas, Easement Manager at Virginia Outdoors Foundation, expressed the importance of the preservation of Pierce’s Low Grounds: “This project nearly doubles the amount of pristine forest and habitat VOF has conserved in partnership with Enviva over the past decade. We are grateful for their support, and for the support of the landowners whose commitment to conservation is inspiring.”
Brandi Colander, Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva, stated, “We are incredibly pleased to have been able to assist in the permanent conservation of this property due to its significant importance for critical bottomland forests as well as for the preservation and protection of precious habitats for various species, including threatened ones.”
The Pierce’s Low Grounds conservation project aligns with the broader mission of environmental stewardship and sustainable land management, ensuring the perpetual preservation of this significant natural landscape.
About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund:
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva in December 2015 to protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects. Learn more at http://envivaforestfund.org/
About Virginia Outdoors Foundation:
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation is established to promote the preservation of open-space lands and to encourage private gifts of money, securities, land or other property to preserve the natural, scenic, historic, scientific, open-space and recreational areas of the Commonwealth.
Learn more: https://vof.org/
About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at www.usendowment.org.
Media Contacts:
Aleta Rogers, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (aleta@usendowment.org; 864-233-7646)
View of the 440 acre tract recently put under easement in Montgomery County, NC. Photo by Emily Callicutt.
Three Rivers Land Trust and The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund Protect 440 Acres Along Little River, Montgomery County, North Carolina
Greenville, S.C. — January 12, 2024 – Two separate tracts, jointly known as the Little River Thickety Creek tract, encompassing over 440 acres of bottomland hardwood forest situated along the Little River and Uwharrie National Forest in Montgomery County, North Carolina, have been permanently protected, thanks in part to a grant provided by the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (EFCF), which enabled Three Rivers Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement on the property and safeguard these tracts, including a variety of habitats.
“Thanks to funding from the NC Land and Water Fund, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, these 440 acres on the pristine Little River will remain free from development for the enjoyment of future generations, and species like bald eagles, river otters, great blue herons, little green herons, beaver, cormorant, white tailed deer, a plethora of Neotropical migratory songbirds, and many other species can continue to make their homes here on the Little River,” said Crystal Cockman, Associate Director Three Rivers Land Trust.
Currently, the site hosts habitat for two threatened species: the Carolina redhorse, and Villosa delumbis, a mussel species also known as the Eastern Creekshell. This stretch of the Little River is classified as the Yadkin/Upper Little River Aquatic Habitat natural area with a very high rating as determined by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.
“The Little River Thickety Creek tract represents the high ecological value of bottomland hardwood forests in the coastal plain of North Carolina,” said Teal Edelen, Program Officer at the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. “Critical habitat, water quality benefits, and flood mitigation will persist thanks to these easements.”
“It’s an honor to be able to protect this important property which can now serve as a safe haven to threatened species and habitats, while also permanently preserving a precious woodland. Our collaboration advances our commitment to conservation and biodiversity demonstrating the power of partnership,” said Brandi Colander, Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva.
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund’s goal is to be a catalyst for investments in forest and habitat conservation in southeast Virginia and North Carolina’s coastal plain. The Fund has completed its eighth year of the planned 10-year partnership, with 31 projects funded with a total commitment of over $3.8 million, including the project announced today. When these projects are completed, the Fund will have helped protect an estimated 36,000 acres of sensitive wetland forests and other habitats.
About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund:
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva in December 2015 to protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects. Learn more at http://envivaforestfund.org/
About Three Rivers Land Trust:
Three Rivers Land Trust works to protect and conserve land, natural areas, rural landscapes, family farms, and historic places within North Carolina’s Central Piedmont and Sandhills.
Learn more: https://threeriverslandtrust.org/
About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at www.usendowment.org.
Media Contacts:
Aleta Rogers, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (aleta@usendowment.org; 864-233-7646)
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Partners Led Historic Work
Greenville, S.C – December 11, 2023 – The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (Endowment) commends the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), The Longleaf Alliance (TLA), and dozens of other partners on the creation of the Southeast Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Occurrences Geodatabase (LEO). This unique database is the only central repository for known occurrences of longleaf pine ecosystems.
LEO will play a critical role in helping partners meet the goals of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI). It will help ensure that public and private funds for longleaf management are directed to the highest priorities, accelerating the restoration of this environmentally and economically important ecosystem. The LEO project was led and funded by NRCS and administered by the Endowment.
The longleaf pine ecosystem is unique to the Southeastern U.S., and once occupied an estimated 90 million acres. By 2006, about three million acres remained, with only about 12,000 acres retaining an old growth component with a biologically diverse understory. Longleaf is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems north of the tropics, with healthy sites featuring from 150 to 300 species of groundcover plants per acre. Longleaf ecosystems harbor more than 120 threatened and endangered species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker and gopher tortoise. Longleaf contributed to the regional and national economy through the naval stores industry, as a source of high-quality timber, for livestock forage, and quail hunting.
The 2009 Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine called for a long-term, science-based assessment of the spatial extent, arrangement, and condition of longleaf ecosystems. Bridgett Costanzo, NRCS’s Regional Working Lands for Wildlife Coordinator, said “LEO is the cornerstone of that assessment. It creates a baseline of knowledge that can be used to plan and evaluate longleaf restoration work.” As of July 2023, the LEO project confirmed approximately five million acres of longleaf, with about 90% reported as dominant or codominant stands. LEO could serve as the foundation for a “dashboard” of longleaf pine ecosystem status and help track the success of ALRI.
FNAI received NRCS funding to create the database, expanding a model already in place for Florida. “Our work with the Florida Forest Service in 2012-2018, set the stage for LEO,” said Amy Knight, GIS Program Specialist with FNAI. “It showed that a near-comprehensive, ground-verified map of longleaf was possible. LEO is not just the presence of longleaf trees. We also measure ecological conditions to help identify the highest quality sites and track progress toward management and restoration goals. As one forester put it, we are ‘assembling pieces of the longleaf ecosystem puzzle.’ The many partners who have provided data, participated in field surveys, and assisted with outreach, are key to LEO’s success. We are excited to see LEO being used for longleaf conservation and management planning.”
TLA received NRCS funding to conduct rapid assessment surveys, building on the known occurrences collected from partners and FNAI. To date, the surveys have cataloged more than 1.4 million acres of longleaf. “We worked with 12 Longleaf Implementation Teams (LIT), surveying more than 20,000 sites and collaborated with dozens of partners and contractors. LEO is advancing more informed management and decision-making for longleaf locally and range wide. We see LEO as a vital tool for the next 15 years of ALRI,” said Ryan Bollinger, LIT Consul and Regional Initiatives Director with TLA. “We are proud to be a part of this groundbreaking, collaborative effort led by FNAI and are thankful for the many Longleaf partners across the range who have brought the LEO project to reality.”
“The need for this database was identified more than a decade ago, and with NRCS’s commitment to this project, a more cohesive and systematic approach has now been implemented,” said Peter Stangel, the Endowment’s Chief Operating Officer. This project fills a critical gap in longleaf conservation and further solidifies the collaboration for which ARLI is so well-known.”
The recently released 2025-2040 Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine sets the stage for the next 15 years of longleaf restoration. LEO will play a vital role in monitoring and evaluating partner progress on the plan. ALRI partners are currently in the process of securing funds that will be used for the development of a comprehensive monitoring protocol. The aim is to ensure the ongoing maintenance of LEO, as well as to create innovative tracking tools. These tools will not only complement but also enhance our understanding of the extent and condition of longleaf pine ecosystems.
About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity collaborating with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at https://www.usendowment.org/
About the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service:
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps people make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat. We deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world.
About The Longleaf Alliance:
The Longleaf Alliance is non-profit organization working throughout the range of longleaf pine to emphasize the ecological, economic, social, and historic importance of this once vast ecosystem. Since its inception, The Longleaf Alliance has used outreach, education, research, direct involvement, and hands-on experience to develop and provide the best available information and support in an unbiased manner to landowners, managers, policymakers, educators, and the public.
About The Florida Natural Areas Inventory:
The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) is administered by Florida State University, and a leading member of the NatureServe International Network of Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centers. The program was established in 1981 and has functioned to collect, analyze, and disseminate ecological information critical to the conservation of Florida’s biological diversity. In the last decade FNAI’s expertise across many conservation disciplines has resulted in regional expansion of work into other southeastern states.
For media information, contact:
Wendy McCarthy, Director of Public Relations at Crawford Agency
wendy@crawford.agency (864) 248-4290