Catawba College
OP-10: Biodiversity

The College owns and maintains the 189 acres of the Fred Stanback, Jr. Ecological Preserve, which is subject to a conservation easement. The conservation easement agreement was established in 1998 between the College and The Landtrust for Central North Carolina, Inc., which is now operating as Three Rivers Land Trust. The College manages the Preserve through its Preserve Keeper. The Preserve is a priority site for biodiversity, as indicated by recognition from the State of North Carolina as a Natural Heritage Area.

The College also contributed greatly to the development of the adjacent Kerr Tract, which it maintains. The Kerr Tract is a 40-acre property that includes an orchard of American Chestnut trees.

Mole Salamander (Least Concern)
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Least Concern)
Northern Long-Eared Bat (Near Threatened)
Rusty Blackbird (Vulnerable)
Eastern Box Turtle (Vulnerable)
Little Brown Bat (Endangered)
American Chestnut (Critically Endangered)

The College commissioned an assessment from the State of North Carolina to identify the Fred Stanback, Jr. Ecological Preserve as a Natural Heritage Area. The area was previously known as the Salisbury Nature Area. The Salisbury Nature Study Area was described as an area of biodiversity importance within the agreement of its recognition as a Natural Heritage Area.

Here is the description from the Natural Heritage Area Agreement: "The Salisbury Nature Study Area contains a wetland forest type that is rarely found in the inner Piedmont region of North Carolina. The swamp forest here combines vegetational characteristics of Piedmont swamp forests and Coastal Plain bottomland hardwood forests. The steep slopes above the back-swamp support oak-hickory and other mesic hardwood forest communities. Several plant species growing in the swamp—such as the swamp cottonwood—are disjunct from their typical range in the Coastal Plain. Many other species of plants and animals representative of these forest habitats inhabit the natural area. The Nature Study Area is an important resource for the environmental education and science programs for Catawba College and the City of Salisbury."

The original agreement is attached in full below.

Professors of the College Dr. Jay Bolin, Dr. Joeseph Poston, and now-retired Dr. Steve Coggins have documented species of bivalves, mammals, birds, butterflies, reptiles, and amphibians as being present in the Fred Stanback, Jr. Ecological Preserve and other areas of the College's campus over the past decade.
The majority of species surveys used for this report were completed in 2014, or have otherwise been updated since that year. Previous assessments were reviewed in reference to the current International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICUN) Red List, the Endangered Species List of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's list of endangered species. Cross-referencing these databases with previously identified species from Professors of the College has led to the list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the College that is listed in the Endangered and Vulnerable Species field above. The level of extinction risk listed for each species reflects its current listing on the ICUN Red List.

The College encourages the use of self-reporting mechanisms to assist in the monitoring of various species by students, staff, and campus visitors through iNaturalist and other data-sharing platforms, such as eBird. When species, such as giant river cane, are thought to be identified in the Preserve, the College will consult with conservation experts to determine the validity of the observation and best practices for management.

These assessments take place primarily within and around the Fred Stanback, Jr. Ecological Preserve. Each assessment's exact scope in relation to the remaining acreage of campus varies. These assessments cover bivalves, mammals, birds, butterflies, reptiles, and amphibians.

Ongoing measures to comply with the Fred Stanback, Jr. Ecological Preserve's conservation easement protect these endangered and vulnerable species. The conservation easement ensures that the Preserve's natural state will remain in perpetuity. Measures in the easement prevent fragmentation of the increasingly rare Piedmont swamp forest and Coast Plain bottomland hardwood forest habitat, the use of chemical pesticides, the development of the land, and all other potentially damaging actions, such as fishing and hunting.