TLC is changing the way it operates. We’re emphasizing the public benefits of conservation lands in both the way we prioritize our activities and how we communicate their value. In 2010, each issue of The Confluence will highlight one of TLC’s Public Benefits:

Wildlife Habitat
Connecting People With Nature
Local Farms & Food
Clean Water

Benefit Spotlight: Wildlife Habitat

Conserving wildlife habitat has been one of the core functions of Triangle Land Conservancy since our founding in 1983. In the early 2000s, wildlife habitat was specifically included in TLC’s mission statement. It could be argued that every one of TLC’s more than 100 conservation projects has a wildlife habitat component.

As the organization transitions to the Public Benefits approach, habitat conservation remains at the core of our work. The key question at this time is, “How can TLC focus its wildlife habitat activities to provide the greatest public benefit?”

At the time of this writing, the TLC staff and board are engaged in the process of goal-setting for all our Public Benefits. These goals will lead to the development of strategies and implementation actions. Preliminary ideas show a strong leaning toward tying TLC’s Wildlife Habitat goals to the work of other established programs, like the NC Natural Heritage Program and the NC Wildlife Action Plan. We’ll take a quick look at how TLC’s goals might relate to those programs.

NC Natural Heritage Program
The NC Natural Heritage Program supports conservation of the natural diversity of our state. TLC’s primary interaction with the program has been through the creation of natural heritage inventories for each county in our region. The inventories provide information that helps governments and conservation groups establish priorities for conservation.

The Natural Heritage Program has identified scores of significant natural areas in the Triangle. Many of the most significant were among TLC’s first targets for conservation, including New Hope Creek, White Pines, Temple Flatrock, Swift Creek Bluffs and Flower Hill.

Possible TLC Wildlife Habitat goals related to the Natural Heritage Program could include:

• ensuring the conservation management of a percentage of significant sites by a certain date;

• focusing efforts to conserve the most significant and threatened sites;

• developing a schedule to update county natural heritage inventories.

NC Wildlife Action Plan
The NC Wildlife Resources Commission, responding to a nationwide Congressional request, led the creation of the NC Wildlife Action Plan, published in 2005.

Taking a habitat-based approach to the needs of the state’s most threatened wildlife, the Wildlife Action Plan is a guide and planning resource for conserving NC’s wildlife and habitats.

The plan gives 371 species statewide priority status, categorizes those species within habitat types, and identifies threats and appropriate conservation actions.

Possible TLC goals related to the Wildlife Action Plan would set targets and deadlines to meet portions of the plan’s recommendations for terrestrial habitat conservation in the Piedmont Ecoregion and for aquatic habitat conservation in the Cape Fear and Neuse river basins.

We look forward to sharing with our members and friends where our ongoing goal-setting and strategic planning work leads us.

Whichever direction TLC chooses, we can be confident the path has been well-blazed by the work of many dedicated conservationists and will start from the premise of making TLC an even more effective conservation organization.

For more information:
NC Natural Heritage Program:
www.ncnhp.org
NC Wildlife Action Plan:
www.ncwildlife.org/plan

The Public Benefits of Wildlife Habitat
Natural areas and well-managed forests support healthy ecosystems and biodiversity in our region. Wildlife habitat balances our built environment and provides opportunities for scientific research and educational experiences. Human activities are disrupting wildlife habitat and unalterably changing the natural world that we depend on for food, air, and water.

Our Vision for Wildlife Habitat
TLC envisions a Triangle region in which verdant habitat and healthy ecosystems support a wide diversity of native plant and animal populations.