More recently, the NC Botanical Gardens took an interest in the site and got permission from the broadcasting company to harvest seed, for use in restoring prairies at Penny's Bend along the Eno River, and also at Mason Farm in Chapel Hill.
On March 16, the botanical garden crew conducted a prescribed burn at Penny's Bend, as part of its management of prairie and savanna habitat there. Into the ashes they will scatter seed collected in Ellerbe Creek's headwaters. This project underscores the importance of preserving those places in the Ellerbe Creek watershed where exceptional native biodiversity has, through serendipity, survived.
Prescribed burning: For any readers surprised by the intentional burning of a landscape, fire once played an important ecological role in sustaining diverse native landscapes. The careful application of fire by trained crews aims to replicate natural conditions and sustain rare species like the smooth coneflower. The WDNC prairie has survived because it has been consistently mowed once or twice a year, imitating to some extent the fires that would formerly have prevented succession to forest.
Penny's Bend: Where the Eno River runs into a massive protrusion of diabase rock, northeast of Durham, it takes a sharp turn known as Penny's Bend. As part of the construction of Falls Lake, the land within this bend was bought by the Army Corps of Engineers. Management of its rare habitats and wildflowers was turned over to the NC Botanical Gardens. I'm proud of having been part of the committee, led by Johnny Randall, that oversaw management and re-instituted prescribed burning of the prairies there. Since then, more of the special diabase-rich lands have been preserved and carefully managed for biodiversity.
The preserve is out Old Oxford Rd, and is open to the public. (Photo collage of recent Penny's Bend burn provided by NC Botanical Garden.)
