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Protected areas of North Carolina

The protected areas of North Carolina cover roughly 3.8 million acres, making up 11% of the total land in the state.[1] 86.5% of this protected land is publicly owned and is managed by different federal and state level authorities and receive varying levels of protection.[1] Some areas are managed as wilderness while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation.[1] The remainder of the land is privately owned, but willingly entered into conservation easement management agreements, or are owned by various nonprofit conservation groups such as the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy.[1] North Carolina contains 1 National Park, and various other federally owned protected land including 2 National Seashores, 5 National Forests, 12 Wildlife Refuges, and the southern half of the Blue Ridge Parkway. North Carolina has an extensive state park system of 42 open units, 35 of which are state parks, 4 that are recreation areas, and 3 staffed state natural areas, along with other designated units managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.[2]

Linville Gorge Wilderness

Federal-level protection agencies

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Clingman's Dome; the tallest mountain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Carolina's federally protected areas are managed by agencies within the United States Department of the Interior. The agencies which govern nationally protected places in North Carolina are the National Park Service; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management; and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

National Parks

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National Historic Sites

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National Memorials

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Wright Brothers National Memorial

National Military Parks

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National Battlefields

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National Parkways

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Green Knob Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway

National Trails System

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National Seashores

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Bodie Island in Cape Hatteras National Seashore

National Marine Sanctuary

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National Estuarine Research Reserve

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National Forests

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Cullusaja Falls in Nantahala National Forest

National Wildlife Refuges

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A Red Wolf; present in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

National Wilderness

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Shining Rock Wilderness

Wilderness Study Areas

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National Wild and Scenic Rivers

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Wilson's Creek

State-level protection agencies

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Main article: List of North Carolina state parks
 
Big Pinnacle of Pilot Mountain

Out of North Carolina's protected land, 250,000 acres of land and water is managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.[3] These areas include State Parks, State Recreation Areas, State Natural Areas, State Lakes, State Trails, State Rivers, State Forests, Educational State Forests, State Historic Sites, and NC Coastal Reserves.

State Parks

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Opera Box observation point at Chimney Rock State Park
 
Lumber River State Park
 
Tallest point east of the Mississippi River; Mount Mitchell State Park
 
Grandfather Mountain State Park
 
Hanging Rock State Park
 
Cypress in Lake Singeltary State Park

State Recreation Areas

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State Natural Areas

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State Lakes

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State Trails

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Mountains to Sea State Trail crossing under the Blue Ridge Parkway

State Rivers

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State Forests

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Meteor shower in Bladen Lakes State Forest

Educational State Forests

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State Historic Sites

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Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site
 
Harper House at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
 
Tryon Palace State Historic Site
 
President James K. Polk State Historic Site, Pineville, NC

North Carolina Coastal Reserves

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Other

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Million-Acre Land Protection Goal Finally Met | Coastal Review". Coastalreview.org. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a Park | NC State Parks". Ncparks.gov. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  3. ^ "N.C. State Park Lands and Waters Now Total 250,000 Acres | NC DNCR". Ncdcr.gov. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b Hubbard, Jule (July 10, 2022). "Matheson named Rendezvous superintendent". North Wilkesboro: Wilkes Journal-Patriot. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
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