Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats for Orange County, North Carolina
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Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats for Orange County, North Carolina Dawson Sather and Stephen Hall (1988) Updated by Bruce Sorrie and Rich Shaw (2004) December 2004 Orange County Environment & Resource Conservation Department North Carolina Natural Heritage Program NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats for Orange County, North Carolina Dawson Sather and Stephen Hall (1988) Updated by Bruce Sorrie and Rich Shaw (2004) December 2004 Orange County Environment & Resource Conservation Department North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Funded by Orange County, North Carolina NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund Prepared by Rich Shaw and Margaret Jones Orange County Environment and Resource Conservation Department Hillsborough, North Carolina For further information or to order copies of the inventory, please contact: Orange County ERCD P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 919/245-2590 or The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program 1601 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 www.ncnhp.org Table of Contents Page PREFACE....................................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................... ii INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 1 Information Sources............................................................................................................. 2 Methods and Data ................................................................................................................ 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA............................................................................ 11 Topography, Physiography, and Geology............................................................................ 11 Natural Communities .......................................................................................................... 12 Biogeography, Land Use, and Plant Life ............................................................................ 17 Animal Life.......................................................................................................................... 21 SITE SIGNIFICANCE AND RANKING............................................................................. 28 INTRODUCTION TO SITE DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................. 31 BOLIN CREEK WATERSHED.............................................................................................. 35 Bolin Creek *+..................................................................................................................... 37 Battle Park ........................................................................................................................... 41 Cedar Terrace Bottoms ........................................................................................................ 45 CANE CREEK WATERSHED ............................................................................................... 49 Cane Creek Reservoir * ....................................................................................................... 51 Haw River Alluvial Terrace ................................................................................................. 55 Lower Cane Creek Slopes and Bottom ................................................................................ 57 OWASA Mitigation Tract +................................................................................................. 61 Persimmon Nursery Flats +.................................................................................................. 65 ENO RIVER WATERSHED.................................................................................................... 67 Seven Mile Creek / Cane Creek Macrosite +............................................................... 69 Camp Chestnut Ridge + ....................................................................................................... 71 Crabtree Creek Monadnock Ridge....................................................................................... 73 Sevenmile Creek Sugar Maple Bottom * ............................................................................. 75 Upper Eno Macrosite + ................................................................................................... 79 Eno River Aquatic Habitat + ............................................................................................... 81 McGowan Creek Preserve and Floodplain + ....................................................................... 85 Eno River Duke Forest Mesic Slopes * + ............................................................................ 87 Occoneechee Mountain ....................................................................................................... 91 Overview of the Lower Eno River .................................................................................... 97 Poplar Ridge Slopes and Bottom *....................................................................................... 99 Eno River / Cates Ford and Uplands +................................................................................. 103 ERSP Mountain Spleenwort & Rhododendron Bluff........................................................... 109 Middle Eno River Bluffs and Slopes.................................................................................... 113 Cates Creek Hardpan Forest................................................................................................. 117 Cates Creek Hardwood Forest + .......................................................................................... 119 Stony Creek Spring .............................................................................................................. 123 * Updated in 2004 + New or Expanded Site in 2004 HYCO CREEK WATERSHED............................................................................................... 125 Cedar Grove Heartleaf Ravine ............................................................................................. 127 Penecost Road Nestronia Flat .............................................................................................. 129 LITTLE RIVER WATERSHED.............................................................................................. 131 South Fork Little River Marsh ............................................................................................. 133 Forrest Creek Beaver Pond * ............................................................................................... 137 Jimmy Ed Road Heartleaf Flat............................................................................................. 141 Breeze Road Heartleaf Ravine ............................................................................................. 143 Little River Aquatic Habitat + ............................................................................................. 145 MORGAN CREEK WATERSHED ....................................................................................... 147 Pickards Mountain * ............................................................................................................149 Calvander Laurel Bluff and Bottom..................................................................................... 153 University Lake Macrosite +........................................................................................... 155 McCauley Mountain *.......................................................................................................... 157 University Lake Slopes and Wetlands.................................................................................. 161 University Lake Marsh......................................................................................................... 165 University Lake Aquatic Habitat + ...................................................................................... 167 Berryhill Rhododendron Bluff * .......................................................................................... 169 Jordan Lake Macrosite + ................................................................................................ 173 Overview of Morgan Creek Valley ................................................................................... 174 Morgan Creek Bluffs * + .................................................................................................... 177 Laurel Hill Ridge and Vernal Pool....................................................................................... 185 Overview of the Mason Farm Biological Reserve............................................................ 187 Mason Farm Oak-Hickory Forest ........................................................................................ 191 Big Oak Woods ................................................................................................................... 195 Morgan Creek Floodplain Forest + ...................................................................................... 199 NEW HOPE CREEK WATERSHED.................................................................................... 203 Bald Mountain/Meadow Flats/Currie Hill Macrosite +............................................ 205 Bald Mountain + 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