Ellen Howell and David Norcom Donation of Conservation Easement
The protection of habitat for rare and endangered plant and wildlife species is an important aspect of PLC’s focus on protecting natural areas. While the Piedmont of North Carolina does not have the variety of rare and endangered species that the Coastal and Mountain regions do, those that do occur such as Schweinitz’s sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii) are still in need of protection. Historically, this small yellow sunflower is associated with the Piedmont Prairie Ecosystem that was in large part maintained by fire. Today this federally endangered plant is often located along power lines and roads. If a population is located along a road that will be negatively impacted by scheduled roadwork, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) is required to take every effort to mitigate for the impact to the federally endangered species.
Funding for this project provided by the landowners and the NC Department of Transportation.