Correction: The original version of this story indicated Triangle Land Conservancy purchased the land in Chicken Bridge Forest from the Protzman family. The Protzman family actually made a donation to TLC which allowed them to purchase the land. The story has been updated to reflect this information.
PITTSBORO — There’s a delicate balance occurring in Chatham County that will set the stage for generations to come.
On the one hand, businesses, developers and economic opportunities create the chance for jobs and investment in the county. On the other, those growth pressures threaten the resources and rural areas that have defined a way of life.
Triangle Land Conservancy, an organization working to protect natural habitats in North Carolina, understands that balance. Since its start in 1983, TLC has conserved more than 23,000 acres in six N.C. counties — Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Orange and Wake.
In Chatham County, TLC recently purchased 108 acres of land off of Chicken Bridge Road, which they hope will be used to improve the Haw River Trail corridor.
“The property has been used for forestry for at least the past decade, which has caused some habitat degradation, making it an excellent candidate for restoration,” TLC said in a statement.
In purchasing land like this property — which TLC is calling “Chicken Bridge Forest” — the organization hopes to achieve some of its four core objectives: supporting local farms, connecting people to nature, safeguarding clean drinking water and protecting wildlife habitats. The last two are especially important in this case.
The land first came to the attention of TLC from Gretchen Smith, president of Friends of the Lower Haw. Smith said the land off Chicken Bridge Road was intriguing because it was near a paddle access area in the Haw River that’s difficult to use.
“It was just kind of lucky that I found out about it,” she said.
Smith happened to be friends with a member of the Carolina Canoe Club who had toured the Chicken Bridge property years ago, and knew they were interested in selling. When Smith saw the land was for sale, she passed the information to TLC.
Margaret Sands, land protection manager at TLC, oversaw the acquisition of the Chicken Bridge property. She said the purchase was atypical for the organization because of the cooperation and desire of the private landowners.
The property had been on the radar of Sands and TLC because of its proximity to the Haw River Trail. It’s also listed in the Natural Heritage Program. Most recently, Chicken Bridge Forest came to TLC’s attention through participation in Haw River Trail Conservation Committee meetings to identify important parcels for a Haw River Trail Master Plan.
When the land was put up for public sale last year by Colonel's Country LLC, Sands said they didn't think they had a chance at purchasing it.
In this case, however, the Alys and Alex Protzmans reached out to TLC first because they had a personal passion for conservation.
“Usually when something is listed publicly as a typical real estate transaction, we aren’t going to be able to move fast enough or accrue enough funding to be competitive in that market,” Sands said.
Because TLC is a 501c3 nonprofit, it can’t bid above appraised market value for land when it’s put up for sale. That makes it difficult when TLC is competing against developers, for example, who could build housing or commercial real estate on the property and bid well above the market value.
In this case, the Protzmans made a donation to TLC because they had a personal passion for conservation.
“During this era of rapid growth in Chatham County, we are proud to support the Triangle Land Conservancy’s mission to preserve this sensitive ecosystem along the Haw River for future generations,” the Protzman family said in a statement.
Being proactive allowed TLC to make this land purchase much quicker than usual, Sands said. She added that this was especially important because the land was on the open market, making it at higher risk for conversion to a non-conservation use.
The future of Chicken Bridge Forest is largely unknown at this time because of ongoing studies around the nearby Haw River Trail. Sands said the property could be used as an access point to the Haw River Trail, despite not having direct water frontage. The 108 acres could also be used for trails or habitat restoration to repair the clearcut forest.
Next steps for the land will be determined by the Haw River Trail master plan, which is currently seeking public input. Ben Rippe, Chatham County Parks & Recreation trails and open space planner, said the land is an important acquisition for the county because of the existing growth pressures.
“Preserving the river corridor is a high priority for our residents — to protect the river as well as the scenic landscape which contributes to a rural quality of life,” Rippe said. “While the property does not have river frontage, it does have potential for the Haw River Trail, but this will depend on working with adjacent landowners to ensure connectivity.”
For now, Sands said TLC is primarily focusing on the habitat management of the property to ensure the existing ecosystems in the Haw River corridor are represented in this parcel. That management includes strategies including prescribed burning and selective thinning of invasive species, which both encourage forest regrowth.
In addition to collaborating with local partners and organizations around water protection, such as the Jordan Lake One Water initiative, and practicing and encouraging land management that supports streams, TLC also looks for opportunities to protect land along key streams and watersheds.
“Chatham is facing a time of transition and growth,” Sands said. “We want to make sure that we can conserve as much land as we can while there’s still rural landscapes and connectivity to be had.”
For more information about TLC visit www.triangleland.org
Reporter Ben Rappaport can be reached at brappaport@chathamnr.com or on Twitter @b_rappaport