
	Triangle Land Conservancy 1101 Haynes Street Suite 205 Raleigh, NC 27604 919.833.3662

TLC joins Raleigh in effort to protect Upper Neuse River Basin

Initiative to focus on upstream land conservation

Published July 2005

More than 300,000 people drink from it. More than 1 million people play in it. Now TLC and several other conservation groups have joined forces with the city of Raleigh to protect it.

On April 14, Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker announced the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative (formerly the Falls Lake Initiative), a project aimed at protecting the water of Falls Lake through land conservation.

Back in February, in his “State of the City” address, Meeker had expressed concern about the water quality of Falls Lake. He proposed that the city create a land trust to acquire property and negotiate conservation agreements with landowners.

TLC executive director Kevin Brice shot back a letter suggesting that Raleigh use the existing land trusts that surround Falls Lake instead of creating a new one. TLC convened a meeting of these groups with the mayor, a meeting which led to the April 14 announcement.

The initiative begins with Raleigh funding a conservation study from which conservation priorities will be developed. Then TLC and other local land trusts (Eno River Association, Tar River Land Conservancy, and Triangle Greenways Council) will engage in landowner contact and land protection.

On June 29, The News & Observer reported that Raleigh has pledged $1 million to the effort over the next two years. Wake County officials are also considering a $1 million commitment. See the story: "Falls lake gets a boost"

As the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative develops in the coming months, more information will be available here on the TLC Web site. If you have questions about the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, please contact TLC by email.