January 2024

January 18, 2024 CCP Quarterly Zoom Meeting

Chatham County Natural Areas Inventory

Visual and audible recording of the Chatham County Natural Areas Inventory meeting is now available online.

The January 2024 Chatham Conservation Partnership (CCP) meeting will focus on an update to the Natural Areas Inventory of Chatham County. The webinar took place on Thursday, January 18 from 9:00-11:30 a.m. via Zoom.

The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) is conducting a county-wide inventory of important natural areas in Chatham County! Natural Areas designated by the NCNHP include examples of high quality natural communities, rare species occurrences, and other special habitats. This inventory is an update to the original Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats in Chatham County, NC, published in 1992. Join us to learn more about the inventory, how the information is used, and how you can help! 

The information gathered during NCNHP inventories helps project planners and landowners make decisions that have the most benefit for society and the economy, while having the least ecological damage. In partnership with the Chatham County Planning Department and Triangle Land Conservancy, NCNHP staff will begin land surveys in Spring 2024 and expect to release a report on the findings in Summer 2025. 

Landowners in Chatham County will have the opportunity to include their land in the inventory and interested landowners are encouraged to attend the CCP info session to learn more. Through feedback during the CCP presentation and an online form, project staff are seeking input on potential properties to include in the inventory and how best to prioritize those locations to align with the community’s conservation goals. 

Meeting Agenda

• Welcome & Introductions 

• Overview of the NCNHP and 2024-2025 Chatham County Natural Area Inventory Project

  • Merry Conlin, NC Natural Heritage Program

• History & Use of NC Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) Data in Chatham County 

  • Allison Schwarz Weakley, Biologist & Steering Committee Member, Chatham Conservation Partnership 

• Public Input on the Chatham County Inventory 

  • Brandon Dawson, Conservation & Resiliency Coordinator, Chatham County Planning Department 

• Updates & Announcements from the CCP Community 

Resources & Links:

• Chatham Conservation Partnership

• North Carolina Natural Heritage Program

• Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats in Chatham County, NC – 1992

• NC Natural Heritage Program Data Explorer -  Interactive access to maps of Natural Heritage resources in NC.

• NC Natural Heritage Program Rare Plant List

• NC Natural Heritage Program Species/Community Search - Can do a county search to look at lists of rare plants and animals, natural communities, and important animal assemblages tracked by the NHP.

• Contribute to the NHP Database  - Share information about rare species, natural communities, or priority conservation areas.

• Chatham Conservation Viewer  - Interactive access to conservation data and maps specific to Chatham County .

• NC Biodiversity Project

• Plan Chatham: Comprehensive Land Use Plan

• Recode Chatham

• Triangle Connectivity Collaborative

• A Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity in the Eno River and New Hope Creek Watersheds, NC