Landowner profile  

The Whitehurst property sits on 1600 acres outside New Bern in the lower Neuse River basin, an area with escalating development and population growth. Very little has changed on the Craven County land during the 100+ years that Samuel O. Whitehurst and the Latham family have owned it. The Whitehurst property was recently designated a high conservation priority by the NC Coastal Land Trust, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and Craven County. While appraisals indicate residential subdivision and commercial development would be an appropriate use of the property, the family has been committed to preserving a significant portion of their land. They embarked on a number of initiatives with the NC Coastal Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy, but despite years of work, were unable to achieve any conservation success.

Unique Places’ expertise  

The Whitehursts hired Unique Places in 2007 to help them create a conservation plan that maximized revenue from the property while concurrently ensuring the long-term protection of portions of the property. Their plan focused on the areas that had the highest conservation and sentimental value to the family. UP is now engaged in implementing that plan.

• The Unique Places plan creates 5 distinct conservation areas out of the property’s 965 acres of forest land. Each area is defined by its historical and ecological value and the potential for conservation funding and conservation buyers.
• The remainder of the property is suitable for commercial and residential development. Unique Places is helping the family consider these opportunities with flexible and adaptive design alternatives as conservation efforts evolve.
• Due to the property’s scale and its significance to Craven County, a number of partners will be involved in implementing the plan. Unique Places is managing the relationships with both conservation and development stakeholders.
• Unique Places is working with the Whitehurst family and federal, state, county and local organizations to secure the right combination of technical assistance and funding.

Conservation Benefits  

• A 135-acre tract includes frontage on Upper Broad Creek and has been sold to the Coastal Land Trust to be conveyed to Craven County as a nature park with water access.
• A 181-acre tract has been protected by a conservation easement through the Federal Forest Legacy program administered by the N.C. Division of Forest Resources.
• A 430-acre tract, including a large Carolina bay known as “Devil’s Garden,” has been sold to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission as an addition to the adjoining 2,790 acre Duck Creek Natural Area. Duck Creek includes land previously purchased from the Whitehurst Family, and is managed as part of the 4,500 acre Neuse River Game Lands.
• Together, protection of these tracts will conserve approximately 3,960 linear feet of riparian buffer along Upper Broad Creek and approximately 2,190 linear feet along a small tributary along with approximately 335 acres of wetlands and forested uplands.

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