Land Conservation Project Protects 69 Acres Upstream Of Clayton

CLAYTON – Nearly 70 acres of undeveloped land along the Neuse River near the Johnston-Wake county line have been permanently protected from development as part of an effort to preserve water quality and expand a nearby nature preserve.

Triangle Land Conservancy announced it protected the 69-acre tract, known as the Neuse River Connector, in September.

The property is adjacent to the 450-acre Sarah and Bailey Williamson Nature Preserve in eastern Wake County and sits upstream from Clayton.

Funding for the land purchase and conservation easement came from the N.C. Land and Water Fund and Novo Nordisk, which operates a major manufacturing facility downstream in Clayton.

Triangle Land Conservancy plans to eventually incorporate the property into the Williamson Preserve, add walking trails and create another public access point along the Neuse River Greenway.

The land is not currently open to the public.

The 69 acres include forests, wetlands and floodplain along waterways that feed the Neuse River. About 10 acres are wetlands and floodplain.

“The Neuse River Watershed is one of the Triangle’s most important water resources and this expansion of Williamson Preserve provides critical water quantity and quality benefits,” said Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, senior director of Conservation East for Triangle Land Conservancy. “We are excited to partner with both the State and Novo Nordisk to protect this land.”

The property is within the Marks Creek Priority Area, where conservation groups and local governments have worked for more than three decades to protect undeveloped land.

Triangle Land Conservancy said more than 3,000 acres have been protected in the Marks Creek area, which contains farms, forests, wetlands, historic homes and rural landscapes between Raleigh and Clayton.

The newly protected property also contains a portion of a state-designated Natural Heritage Area. Triangle Land Conservancy said the rare Veined Skullcap plant was recently documented on the site.

The conservation easement prevents future development of the property. Conservancy officials said protecting the land will help maintain forested buffers along streams, reduce stormwater runoff and provide additional wildlife habitat.

“For more than three decades, Novo has called the Triangle home,” said Shaylah Nunn Jones, director of Public Affairs and Communication at Novo Nordisk. “Supporting the protection of this land reflects our commitment to investing not only in lasting health, but also in the environmental and community resources that will help our region thrive for generations to come.”

Triangle Land Conservancy will own and manage the property and plans to eventually provide public access through the Williamson Nature Preserve.

The organization has protected more than 28,000 acres across six Triangle counties since 1983.