N.C. Natural Heritage Website Identifies  Rare Plants and Bats Near You

N.C. Natural Heritage Website Identifies Rare Plants and Bats Near You

by 08/16/2016

Spotlight

Raleigh, N.C. – In North Carolina’s cities and counties, many creatures live and thrive unnoticed in natural communities. The N.C. Natural Heritage Program has a new N.C. Natural Heritage Website (www.ncnhp.org) that allows citizens to discover the many life forms in their midst. A few, such as the Venus fly trap, are unique. Others, such as the long-eared bat, are endangered. It is a tool for citizens, conservationists, government and industry to inform economic development and land conservation decisions.

The N.C. Natural Heritage Program has a new N.C. Natural Heritage Website (www.ncnhp.org) that allows citizens to discover the many life forms in their midst.

Natural communities technically are a distinct collection of plants and animals, including fungi and bacteria, that are associated with each other and their physical environment. More than 300 such communities are in the state. They consist of plants and animals, the living elements; and soil and water, non-living elements. The combination of factors makes each North Carolina natural community unique featured on the new N.C. Natural Heritage Website.

Each natural community thrives in its preferred ecoregion, the mountains, piedmont or coastal plain, and preferred conditions – high and dry, low and moist or a combination. The varied topography, soil types and moisture present creates a rich biodiversity in the state. In addition to being home to native species, natural communities are home to ecosystems that cycle nutrients and clean the water and air. Different types of natural communities can be found close together in the landscape, like distinct neighborhoods in a city.

The Natural Heritage Program and the new N.C. Natural Heritage Website is the repository for data on rare species and exemplary natural communities. The revamped website allows members of the public, business and industry, the military and others to access information about the state’s ecology and natural heritage. A popular feature is the interactive Data Explorer map that shows nature preserves and conservation areas online at  http://ncnhde.natureserve.org/content/map.

Environmental professionals can subscribe to the environmental review tool to generate reports about natural features in specific project areas. Anyone can search a database to discover what rare species are known in their county at http://www.ncnhp.org/data/species-community-search.

National Heritage Program rules, contact information and information on recent activities are on the new website also.<

For additional information, please call Misty Buchanan at (919) 707-8107. The Natural Heritage Program is within the Division of Land and Water Stewardship of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.<

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.

N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
109 E. Jones Street | Raleigh, N.C. | 27601

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

No Comments so far

Jump into a conversation

No Comments Yet!

You can be the one to start a conversation.

Only registered users can comment.