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Sherrills Ford, N.C. — Catawba Lands Conservancy was awarded a grant as part of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Standards-based Restoration in Action program, in collaboration with Microsoft’s Community Environmental Sustainability program. The funds are being used to restore considerable acreage of habitat within Mountain Creek Park in Catawba County, NC over a three-year project period.
Mountain Creek Park opened on the northwest bank of Lake Norman in 2022 and is one of the largest parks in Catawba County. On the park’s 600 acres, visitors enjoy trails for hiking and mountain biking, playgrounds, pickleball courts, and other amenities. Unfortunately, the park also contains areas of high erosion and persistent invasive vegetation. Collaboration with Microsoft and SER will allow the Conservancy to restore these ecosystems by replanting native species on 80 acres of preserved land.
The Conservancy began habitat restoration earlier this summer, by reseeding eroded banks with native grasses to stabilize the soil and targeting invasive plant species such as wisteria, tree-of-heaven and Chinese privet that dominate the project areas. Working with Native Roots, LLC, the team is removing dense growths of invasive species using minimal pesticides.
In October 2024, volunteers from Microsoft spent several hours planting native shrubs at the project site. By 2027, larger native species such paw paw and silky dogwood trees will be planted to complete the re-establishment of native habitat on the preserved land.
“Microsoft is proud to collaborate with the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and Catawba Lands Conservancy to deliver standards-based ecological restoration in Catawba County, North Carolina. By collaborating with SER and Catawba Lands Conservancy, we have been able to expand restoration projects globally and grow the network of sustainability-focused non-profits that Microsoft supports,” said Gaby DelaGarza, Senior Director of Global Datacenter Community Affairs.
The project will create biodiverse, resilient native hardwood forest ecosystems that support bird and insect populations, which have been experiencing significant declines in the North Carolina Piedmont region. In addition, the project will protect water quality in Lake Norman, because native plant species have robust root systems that slow down storm water run-off. These efforts contribute to the overall health of the larger Catawba-Wateree Basin, which provides habitat for aquatic wildlife and drinking water for over 2.5 million people.
Visitors to the park will benefit from the improved sightlines along trails, making for a safer and more aesthetically enjoyable experience in nature.
Through its collaboration with Microsoft and SER, the Conservancy will help ensure that Mountain Creek Park will better serve the Catawba County community for years to come.
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About Catawba Lands Conservancy
Catawba Lands Conservancy is a local, nonprofit land trust dedicated to saving land and connecting lives to nature in the Southern Piedmont of North Carolina. The Conservancy protects more than 17,000 acres of land and serves Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Union counties. The Conservancy is committed to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves by protecting clean water, wildlife habitats, farmland and natural open spaces for public benefit. The Conservancy also leads the Carolina Thread Trail, a regional network of trails, greenways and blueways focused on linking more than two million citizens through 15 counties in North and South Carolina. For more information, visit catawbalands.org.
About SER
The Society for Ecological Restoration works to ensure that ecological restoration is recognized and utilized as a fundamental component of global conservation, biodiversity and sustainable development programs and that ecological restoration projects are designed and implemented in a way that provides people with the opportunity to not only repair ecological damage but also improve the human condition. Learn more about the work and get involved in the network by visiting the Society for Ecological Restoration website.