A DU project to expand public lands in coastal North Carolina was awarded $1.2 million from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) program. The grant supports the fee title acquisition of the 6,300-acre Hubbard-Pinkerton tract, an expansive forested wetland, marsh and river-front property on the North River in Camden County. The property is geographically, hydrologically and ecologically connected to several other conservation properties and projects in the region.

The property will be purchased and dedicated by NCWRC as part of the expansive, publicly-accessible North River Game Lands, including protection of wetlands and waters, availability for NCWRC-guided workshops, and public access for hunting and recreation.

The resource protection objectives for this acquisition project with WRC include permanent protection of ecologically-significant wetlands, contributing to the improvement of water quality discharged into the Albemarle Sound, contributions toward a network of riparian protection throughout the North River watershed that protect riverfront habitats and scenic views from timbering or conversion, acquisition of land that represents the ecological diversity of North Carolina and providing passive recreation, hunting, fishing, and access to game lands along the river frontage by holding the property as an undeveloped game land in state ownership.

The CWMTF grant funds are part of a multi-partner bargain-sale acquisition to expand the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission's (NCWRC) adjacent North River Game Lands. Additional project funding comes from a National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund and Ducks Unlimited.

DU has a long history of conservation and restoration efforts in the area. Since 1984, the total habitat restored, protected or enhanced by DU in North Carolina is 130,000 acres. These protected and restored wetlands improve water quality, flood retention and provide recreational opportunities for the public.