Chatham Conservation Plan

CCP Conservation Plan for Chatham County_Mar2011_4.3.pdf

A Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Chatham County, NC

Published in 2011, the Conservation Plan was the first comprehensive, county-wide conservation plan developed in North Carolina. The Conservation Plan developed a community vision for conservation of natural resources in Chatham County, through a collaborative process involving many partners and individuals.

The Conservation Plan focuses on the County's most important public natural resources:

  • Biodiversity/Wildlife Habitats
  • Working Lands
  • Recreation, and
  • Water Resources

The plan highlights the economic importance of forests and water quality, in particular.

To read the Conservation Plan, click the photo on the left. Appendices and other documents and information included in the plan project are below.

Plan Maps & Data


LINKS TO OTHER PLANS & PROJECTS

Plan Chatham - Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Chatham County, NC, 2017)

The Chatham County Comprehensive Plan was adopted November 20th 2017 after careful analysis, extensive public input, many meetings, and thorough vetting over the course of two years. To learn more about how the plan was developed click here.

The Chatham County Comprehensive Plan is a long range document establishing policy that sets forth goals and feasible implementation steps for the next 25 years. The document is split into 5 Chapters and has an extensive digital appendices.

To download the Chatham County Comprehensive Plan adopted November 20th, 2017 click here

Southwest Shore Conservation Assessment (Triangle Land Conservancy & UNC Institute for the Environment, 2008)

A wilderness of more than 10,000 acres lies along the southwest shore of the Haw River and Jordan Lake in Chatham County. Dotted by the remnants of past settlement, this land is one of the largest, unfragmented areas in the Triangle and drains into Jordan Lake, the second largest drinking water supply for the region.

Within the Southwest Shore area, Preston Development Company has assembled more than 7,000 acres and plans to develop the largest mixed-use project in Chatham County’s history. Before planning its development, Preston contacted the Triangle Land Conservancy and the Chatham Conservation Partnership to identify areas that have the highest priority for conservation.

TLC assembled a team of experts from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and interested citizens to conduct the assessment with funding from The Cannon Foundation. Members of the group made 20 site visits to study the area and met as a team over a course of six months to develop geographical and policy recommendations.

TLC’s resulting report describes the landscape and provides a detailed list of recommendations to protect the most significant natural areas in the Southwest Shore area. Read the Southwest Shore Report.