Little River Corridor Open Space Plan Adopted by the: Durham Board of County Commissioners on August 27, 2001 Durham City Council on November 19, 2001 Little River Corridor Open Space Plan Page i Little River Corridor Open Space Plan Little River Corridor Open Space Plan Adopted by the: Durham Board of County Commissioners on August 27, 2001 Durham City Council on November 19, 2001 Page ii Little River Corridor Open Space Plan Preparation of the Little River Corridor Open Space Plan would not have been possible without the support of people who live in the Little River area and contributed to this plan. Many hours of volunteer effort in thinking and talking about Durham’s special places provided a sound basis for the Plan. Special thanks go to Edgar Johnson and the Little River Community Complex for the use of their fine facility for meetings. Also, special thanks go to the Eno River Association and the Triangle Land Conservancy for their support of the planning effort and of open space protection in Durham. Staff of the Durham City-County Planning Department who were primarily responsible for production of the Little River Corridor Open Space Plan include: Jane Korest, Senior Planner, Team Leader Keith Luck, Planning Supervisor Mike Giles, Open Space Manager Beth Timson, Senior Planner Teri Danner, Senior Planner Additional assistance provided by: Bonnie Estes, Planning Manager Steve Cruse, Senior Planner Sara Young, Senior Planner Helen Youngblood, Senior Planner (Cover photo is of the North Fork of the Little River at South Lowell Road by Korest) Page iii Little River Corridor Open Space Plan Table of Contents I. Introduction....................................................................................1 A. The Importance of an Open Space Plan ............................................................... 1 B. What is Open Space?........................................................................................... 2 C. The Planning Process and Community Involvement............................................ 3 D. Organization of This Plan.................................................................................... 4 II. Existing Conditions ...........................................................................5 A. The Little River Study Area................................................................................. 5 B. Physical and Natural Features of the Corridor...................................................... 5 C. Upland Plant Species and Animal Habitats........................................................ 11 D. Historic and Cultural Features ........................................................................... 17 E. Land Use and Ownership .................................................................................. 24 F. Planned Facilities .............................................................................................. 28 G. Development Regulations.................................................................................. 30 H. Summary of Existing Conditions....................................................................... 32 III. Goals, Policies and Actions for Open Space Protection ............................ 37 A. Habitat Preservation .......................................................................................... 38 B. Natural Beauty .................................................................................................. 45 C. Water Quality.................................................................................................... 47 D. Voluntary Acquisition and Private Stewardship................................................. 50 E. Existing Uses and Future Development ............................................................. 51 F. Recreation......................................................................................................... 53 G. Partnerships....................................................................................................... 56 H. Human History.................................................................................................. 57 IV. Implementation Actions ................................................................. 61 A. Lower Little River and Cabin Branch Creek ...................................................... 61 B. Little River Reservoir ........................................................................................ 64 C. Upper Little River ............................................................................................. 66 D. South Fork of the Little River and Cain Creek ................................................... 67 E. North Fork of the Little River and Buffalo Creek............................................... 68 F. Mountain Creek and South Lowell Road Area................................................... 70 G. Basin-Wide Recommended Actions .................................................................. 72 H. Summary of Recommendations ......................................................................... 81 Appendices ......................................................................................... 85 Appendix A. Significant Historic Resources .............................................................. 85 Appendix B. A Keepsake For Posterity, by Jean Anderson......................................... 88 Appendix C. Planning for Wildlife Habitat................................................................. 92 Appendix D. Conservation by Design ........................................................................ 98 Appendix E. Resources .............................................................................................104 End Notes ......................................................................................... 105 Page iv Little River Corridor Open Space Plan List of Figures Figure 1, Little River Context ..................................................................................................... 7 Figure 2, Little River Study Area................................................................................................ 8 Figure 3, Natural and Historic Resources.................................................................................. 14 Figure 4, Farms and Farmland .................................................................................................. 34 Figure 5, Recreation and Scenic Roads ..................................................................................... 35 Figure 6, Habitat Protection Strategies...................................................................................... 44 Figure 7, Index of Recommendation Maps................................................................................ 74 Figure 8, Lower Little River and Cabin Branch Creek .............................................................. 75 Figure 9, Little River Reservoir ................................................................................................ 76 Figure 10, Upper Little River.................................................................................................... 77 Figure 11, South Fork and Cain Creek ...................................................................................... 78 Figure 12, North Fork and Buffalo Creek,................................................................................. 79 Figure 13, Mountain Creek and South Lowell Road Area ......................................................... 80 Page v Little River Corridor Open Space Plan I. Introduction The Little River corridor and surrounding landscape are one of Durham County's best-kept secrets. The rolling hillsides are comprised of farms, woodlands, pasture lands, historic home sites and meandering streams. Nature’s forces have subtly shaped the landscape for the past 600 million years. The Little River itself is both beautiful and environmentally significant. Upstream from the Little River Reservoir, the river is characterized by scenic gorges, rocky riffle sections, steep rocky bluffs and wooded scenery that delight the senses. Steep north- facing slopes create a cool microclimate that supports rhododendron and mountain laurel groves more typical of the mountains. The river's water quality is exceptional, rated as Water Supply II (WS II) by the NC Environmental Management Commission. The high water quality of the Little River provides habitat for significant riparian animal species, particularly mussels, which are increasingly rare or threatened in the State. As a result, the state's Natural Heritage program has rated the aquatic habitat found in the upper Little River as of "State-significance.” The corridor is threatened by dramatic land use changes over the next decades if special plans are not put in place now. There is very little publicly owned land along the river. As the City of Durham, Research Triangle Park, Treyburn and the surrounding Triangle area continues to grow, increasing development in the Little River area will likely permanently change much of the corridor's natural beauty and character. A. The Importance of an Open Space Plan There is much that is already known about the value of the Little River corridor study area—about its history, natural heritage and scenic beauty. The Plan can help to protect these important features of the area by summarizing this different knowledge in one document. It can evaluate the area’s most important ecological and cultural features, land ownership