Stanley Creek Forest Monitoring Visit

On Saturday, November 6, our Stewardship Director Sharon Wilson led a team of volunteers on a monitoring visit to Stanley Creek Forest to document the current conditions of the 506-acre conserved property. Photos and data collected from Saturday’s visit are compared to previous year’s data to ensure conservation values are being protected and document the property’s conservation values over time.

Located in Gaston County less than 20 minutes from Charlotte and Gastonia, Stanley Creek Forest is owned and maintained by the Conservancy and has been protected since 2003. The land has a spectacular Natural Heritage site that includes a steep gorge, a beautiful rocky stream, and a mature hardwood forest with extensive populations of the rare bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) and yellow lady’s slipper (Cypripedium calceolus). The soaring canopy of mature hardwoods, including oaks, hickories and American beech trees, harbors migratory songbirds, frogs and many other wildlife species.  A relative lack of forest disturbance led to the incredible diversity of both natural communities and individual plant species. In the greater Stanley Creek Project Area, the Conservancy has protected more than 800 acres of contiguous lands.

Photos taken by Conservancy volunteer Alex Gregor

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