For The Daily Southerner
A conservation project involving St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Tar River Land Conservancy and the Town of Tarboro will increase the size of Riverfront Park by more than 40 percent.
The project involves a nine-acre parcel of land on East St. James Street, given to the church in 2003 by Dorothy and Joseph Campbell of Durham. The undeveloped property is adjacent to the 21-acre park and other lands owned by the town.
Tar River Land Conservancy has agreed to raise the funds necessary to purchase the property from the church. The local non-profit land trust will place a permanent conservation easement on the tract before gifting it to the Town. The project will be a fundraising priority for the Conservancy, which hopes to complete the acquisition and transfer by April.
The property is mostly wooded and four acres are considered wetland. A small, unnamed stream flows through the property just before entering the Tar River. The North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program is restoring ten acres of habitat along the stream between East Baker Street and East Saint James Street in Clark Memorial Park and on the W.A. Patillo Elementary School property.
The conservation easement that will be placed on the land will ensure that future uses are limited to environmental protection and low-impact recreation. The town eventually plans to create a greenway trail that would traverse the property and connect Riverfront Park to East St. James Street. The property will link Riverfront Park, the stream restoration area, and other properties acquired by the town after Hurricane Floyd.
“Though the acreage is small, protecting the St. Luke’s tract will have a tremendous environmental and community impact,” said Derek Halberg, executive director of Tar River Land Conservancy. “The project will expand the water quality protection currently provided by Riverfront Park. That’s not only good for drinking water but also for fish and wildlife, including shad and other game species that inhabit the Tar River.”
The Rev. Bill Smyth, vicar of St. Luke’s Church, began initial discussions with Tar River Land Conservancy about the property in 2007.
“The church has always wanted to see this property protected and identified Tar River Land Conservancy as a natural partner,” Smyth said. “I am so glad we arrived at such a workable, mutually beneficial solution. That we can generate funds for our small congregation’s future stability and make the property available as parkland at the same time is everything we could have hoped for.”
The Town Council agreed to contribute $2,500 and passed a resolution endorsing the project at its Oct. 12 meeting.
“This partnership allows us to expand and improve Riverfront Park without having to come up with all the money ourselves,” said Tarboro Town Manager Sam Noble. “Everyone comes out a winner here.”
Tar River Land Conservancy (TRLC) protects farm, forests, land, water and wildlife in Person, Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren, Halifax, Nash and Edgecombe counties. TRLC is one of 24 land trusts working in local communities across North Carolina to ensure that critical lands are protected for clean drinking water, farming, forestry recreation, and tourism.
