Eno River Association Mission To conserve and protect the nature, history, and culture of the Eno River Basin.

Geographic Area
Eno River Basin in Durham and Orange Counties

Contact Info
Email: association@enoriver.org    Web: www.enoriver.org
Address: 4419 Guess Road, Durham, NC 27712
TEL: (919) 620-9099, (919) 477-4549       FAX: (919) 477-0448

Historical Highlights
For nearly 40 years, the Eno River Association has worked tirelessly to help protect natural and open space lands throughout the Eno River Basin. 2004 has been an extremely successful year for our land protection program. We continue to expand the holdings of the Eno River State Park, while also expanding the scope of our conservation work through the creation of new conservation partnerships. We also increased the number of “conservation tools” at our disposal. None of these successes would be possible without the work of our dedicated volunteers, the generosity of our donors, and the goodwill of our partners who work with us to make these exciting projects happen.

Conservation Easement Program

We expanded the scope of our land protection program by incorporating a new “tool” into our conservation toolbox, the conservation easement. Conservation Easements are legal agreements that establish permanent restrictions on use and development of the land while keeping it in private hands. There are a number of different easement projects slated for 2005.

Collaboration to Protect the Upper Eno Basin

The Environment and Resource Conservation Department (ERCD) of Orange County and the Association continue to work to permanently protect lands in the Upper Eno Watershed. The goals of this partnership have been to protect water quality, wildlife habitat, and important biological sites. A number of priority tracts have been identified and work continues in four different projects in the region.

Eno River State Park Additions

We continue to work towards our historic objective of completing the Master Plan for the Eno River State Park. In 2004 we completed the following projects with the Park:

• June 2004, 22 acres on the Eno located in the “missing link” region of the Park between Cabes Ford and the Eno Wilderness were transferred to the State of NC for inclusion into the State Park.
• September 2004, we purchased 11 acres on the Eno located tract in the “missing link” region, which will eventually be added to the Eno River State Park
• We expect to close on an additional 28 acres on the Eno located in the “missing link” region in early 2005. These 28 acres will also eventually be added to the Eno River State Park.
• We are actively working on a number of other potential additions to the Park. We hope to have more good news to report regarding these projects throughout 2005.

Penny’s Bend Project Area

We have also been actively working to protect several properties on the river near Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve in Durham County. In May 2004, we constructed its first nature trail on one of its tracts along Stanely Road. Although the tract is only two tenths of a mile long, it does provide views both of small streams, springs, mature woodlands, and of course the Eno River. In addition, we purchased a three-year option on a 13-acre tract along the Eno.

We also continue to work to preserve lands in the Penny’s Bend area for wildlife habitat, water quality, and endangered plant protection through our partnership in the Diabase Sill Project. The project centers around the protection and restoration of the piedmont prairie ecosystem, which features a number of federally endangered plants, include the “smooth purple coneflower” (E. laevigata).

To this end, we have partnered with the NC Plant Conservation Program (PCP, a division of the NC Department of Agriculture) and the NC Botanical Garden (NCBG) to protect key tracts in the Penny’s Bend area both through conservation easements and by purchasing the tracts outright. PCP secured over $1 million in funding from the Natural Heritage Trust Fund (NHTF) for the project, while we were able to contribute $351,000 in funding through the Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP). We are taking the lead on the acquisition of these tracts, and PCP will ultimately own the tracts while working with NCBG in order to manage them properly. We are close to completing the purchase of four different properties and is actively working on 11 more. The Association expects to have more good news regarding the progress of this project throughout 2005.

Little River Regional Park

December 2004 marked the opening of the Little River Regional Park in both Durham and Orange Counties. Five years in the making, this 391-acre park is a great example of how much can be accomplished through partnerships between local governments and private organizations. Durham and Orange Counties, the Eno River Association, and the Triangle Land Conservancy, among several other organizations, all worked together to purchase the land for the Park which provides miles of hiking and mountain biking trails and many other recreational opportunities for the general public.

Our efforts to date have resulted in over 4,900 acres of protected natural areas, open space and parklands in the Eno watershed. We look forward to expanding these protected lands that we have all come to treasure.