Wake County has entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with the federal government to preserve 94 acres of farmland and greenway in eastern Wake County.
The Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved the purchase of land owned by William Brent Barham, Sheila L. Barham and Jonni Beth Maye Barham for $468,100. The land is located on the Little River approximately one mile upstream from the proposed Little River Reservoir site and Mitchell Mill State Natural Area.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service will defray $200,000 of the cost via a grant through its Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The program provides grant funds to assist local governments in the purchase of conservation easements to protect topsoil by limiting non-agricultural uses of land. Agricultural Conservation Easement designation restricts the property from any future development or use other than agriculture-related activities.
The purchase marks the first conservation easement the County has acquired specifically for farmland preservation; under the terms of the purchase, the Barhams will continue to farm the land. It also is the first time the County has received federal grant money for the purchase of open space.
Commissioners’ Chair Herb Council hailed the purchase as a major step for protecting water quality in eastern Wake County as well as preserving the tradition of agriculture in the County.
“Preserving this land as farmland pays off now and in years to come for this County,” Council said. “Besides protecting the land from non-farm development, it will also protect our water quality, which is the primary mission of our Open Space Preservation Program.
“The County is interested in water quality, and the federal government is interested in keeping active farming operations in areas that are threatening to urbanize. I’m proud that our two goals are converging in the purchase of this property.”
The property consists of approximately 83 acres of farm and timberland, 11 acres of floodplain and 3,500 feet of frontage on Little River. The property also contains granitic flatrock outcrops similar to those found in Mitchell Mill State Natural Area, supporting rare and uncommon plant species.
In November 2000, Wake County voters approved a $15-million open space bond referendum, allowing the County to issue general obligation bonds for open space acquisition. As part of the Board-approved Phase I Open Space Plan, a conservation/greenway easement owned by the Barhams on 19 acres of floodplain and buffer adjacent to Little River was to be acquired at an estimated cost of $76,000. The remaining 75 acres, on which the Agricultural Conservation Easement would be applied, is valued at $392,000. Therefore, the County's share of the cost for the easement on the additional 75 acres is $192,000.
Phase I of the Wake County Open Space Plan adopted by the Board of Commissioners in August 2001 identified the Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, Little River and Swift Creek watersheds as priority areas within the County for potential open space acquisitions.
The purchase is part of the County's ongoing effort to promote partnerships for preserving open space. On March 17, 2003, the Board of Commissioners accepted the Wake County Consolidated Open Space Plan to protect the County's critical open space resources. The plan provides that the County's open space resources be identified and protected based on open space plans adopted by the municipalities in Wake County and the common objectives of other County plans. Through its Phase I acquisitions, the County has acquired or partnered with municipalities to acquire more than 720 acres of open space to date.