WINDSOR -  The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust recently conveyed  the Salmon Creek property in Bertie County land to the N.C.  Division of Parks and Recreation. The site will become the Salmon Creek State Natural Area.

The move ensures permanent protection of its significant natural, historic, archaeological and cultural resources.

The property is the subject of archaeological research by The First Colony Foundation. Native Algonkin and English artifacts indicative of settlement by the Roanoke colonists have been found on the site. Some researchers theorize the artifacts could provide evidence that survivors from The Lost Colony relocated to the area in the late 1580s.

At nearly 1,000 acres, the property features 3½ miles of beautiful frontage along Salmon Creek, floodplain forests of cypress-gum swamp and bottomland hardwood forest. It also contains tidal freshwater marsh recognized as ecologically significant by the N.C. Natural Heritage Program.

“We are thilled to have saved this property to make it available to the people of North Carolina, and we appreciate the public’s outpouring of support for conserving this area,” said Camilla Herlevich, executive director of the N.C. Coastal Land Trust.

The property was transferred to the state thanks to funds awarded by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Attorney General’s Environmental Enhancement Grant Fund, N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund and the U.S. Department of Defense.

“The Salmon Creek property stands out due to its rich cultural history, truly pristine ecosystems and unique archaeological resources, ” said Susi Hamilton, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “We are grateful for the tireless work of the N.C. Coastal Land Trust and all of the partners in funding this project. We look forward to offering this new state natural area in Bertie County, a beautiful part of our state currently underserved by our state parks system.”

The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust has conserved more than 72,000 acres of land with scenic, recreational, historic and ecological value in eastern North Carolina. They work to enrich the coastal communities of our state through conservation, education, and promoting land stewardship.