Durham County

The survey described in this report was a follow-up to a larger biodiversity inventory conducted by the NCBP in the Durham County portion of the New Hope Creek floodplain in 2021 and 2022. The current study focuses much more narrowly on mapping the distributions within the New Hope floodplain of two of its rarest species, Big Shellbark Hickory (Carya laciniosa), and the White-nymph (Trepocarpus aethusae), both of which appear to have their best (or only, in the case of the White-nymph) populations in the state along New Hope Creek.

This report identifies twenty-six sites in Durham County that provide habitat for a high diversity of animal species, support populations of rare animals, or serve as critical corridors for animal movements. Twenty-four of the sites - comprising over 25,000 acres - are publicly or institutionally owned and are managed as natural areas, forest lands, or wildlife habitat. These include one state park, three city parks, two dedicated State Nature Preserves, nine registered Natural Heritage Areas, and two extensive areas of state gamelands.