Wildlife Resources Commission staff work cooperatively with many different partners and stakeholders to conserve North Carolina’s natural resources. Some of these working relationships span years and involve multiple project efforts, while others represent single or unique opportunities. These descriptions represent only a few of the partnerships Commission staff have been involved with over the years. A broader list is available for download in Adobe PDF format; Click here for a copy of the list.
Albermarle Pamlico Community Conservation Collaboration
The Albermarle Pamlico Community Conservation Collaboration got underway in 2007 when an extensive group of professionals gathered to share concerns for the natural resources and important wildlife habitats of the Albermarle Pamlico peninsula, especially in light of global climate change. This group intends to explore opportunities to manage lands, restore habitats, and protect lands and waters for the benefit of species native to the region.
Cape Fear Arch
The Cape Fear Arch includes the watersheds of the lower Cape Fear and the Waccamaw Rivers. The area is under great development pressure, which requires infrastructure that often eliminates habitat for important wildlife species. Since forming in 2006, the mission has been to develop a community conservation vision that provides protection and stewardship of the important natural resources and raises conservation awareness for the area.
Chatham Conservation Partnership
Numerous state and federal agencies, local land trusts, local conservation organization, county officials, commissioners, planners, and landowners have the common interest of developing a sustainable county focused on the preservation of its natural resources and rural and agricultural heritage.
Conservation Trust for North Carolina
The Conservation Trust for North Carolina protects land and water through direct efforts with willing landowners and in partnership with our state's local and regional land trusts. As a land trust, their protection efforts are focused on mountain streams, forests, and scenic views along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture
A collaboration between state fish and wildlife agencies, federal resource agencies, academic institutions and private sector conservation organizations working under a Memorandum of Understanding to conserve native Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and their habitats. The long-term goals of the joint venture are to implement a comprehensive conservation strategy to improve aquatic habitat, raise public awareness, and prioritize the use of federal, state and local funds for brook trout conservation.
Greater Uwharrie Conservation Partnership
This partnership centers around the southern, central Piedmont of North Carolina that contains the Uwharries, an ancient mountain range, a series of lakes along the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed, nationally significant aquatic habitats, rare wetlands, Uwharrie National Forest, Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, farmlands, and Piedmont prairie remnants. The mission is to work for the long-term conservation and enhancement of biological diversity and ecosystem sustainability throughout the Greater Uwharries landscape compatible with the land use, conservation, and management objectives of the participating organizations and agencies.
Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition
A conservation organization whose mission is to facilitate water quality improvements in lakes and streams throughout the upper Hiwassee River watershed within Cherokee and Clay counties in NC. The coalition supports water quality education, watershed restoration projects, watershed planning, and opportunities for citizens to volunteer.
North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
The Coastal Land Trust works to protect land, water, and air quality in the Coastal Plain through the acquisition of open space and natural areas, conservation education, and the promotion of good land stewardship.
NC Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
NC Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NCPARC) is North Carolina’s own chapter of the successful world-wide organization Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Like its parent organization, NCPARC unifies members from all walks of life under one banner; that of the conservation of amphibians and reptiles and their habitats. The program hopes to make a difference for the persistence of healthy amphibian and reptile populations in our state.
NC Partners In Flight
This initiative, coordinated by Wildlife Resources Commission nongame staff, brings together government, private and public organizations and individuals in an effort to further migratory bird conservation throughout the Americas. Through habitat protection, management, monitoring, professional training and education, this program strives to maintain both bird species and habitats.
North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership
This Partnership was formed to facilitate collaboration between various federal, state, and non-profit conservation groups for the purpose of conserving the vanishing longleaf pine ecosystem and recovering the federally-listed endangered red-cockaded woodpecker in the North Carolina Sandhills.
Onslow Bight Conservation Forum
The goals of this conservation forum include promoting conservation, restoration, health and sustainable use of the landscape and the native terrestrial and aquatic communities that depend, in whole or in part, on the lands and waters of the Onslow Bight area. This regional collaboration works toward conserving saltwater marshes, riverine wetlands, pocosins, longleaf pine savannahs, and other coastal plain ecosystems located between Cape Lookout and the Cape Fear River. The area also encompasses several large protected areas, including Cape Lejune and Croatan National Forest.
NC Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
NC Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NCPARC) is North Carolina’s own chapter of the successful world-wide organization Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. The members of NCPARC hail from academia, state and federal agencies, research facilities, nature education centers, land trusts, municipalities, zoos, veterinary fields, forest products industries, energy cooperatives, conservation organizations, herpetological societies, pet trade industries, museums, and even your own neighborhoods. The program hopes to make a difference for the persistence of healthy amphibian and reptile populations in our state.
NC Partners In Flight
This initiative, coordinated by Wildlife Resources Commission nongame staff, brings together government, private and public organizations and individuals in an effort to further migratory bird conservation throughout the Americas. Through habitat protection, management, monitoring, professional training and education, this program strives to maintain both bird species and habitats
Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee
A voluntary stakeholder partnership established in 1995 and charged with the overall responsibility for directing the recovery of the robust redhorse (Moxostoma robustum). The partnership is a pioneering effort to recover a species proactively, without federal listing. The partnership operates under a Memorandum of Understanding between state and federal resource agencies, private industry, and the conservation community in lieu of listing this species under the Endangered Species Act.
Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
A regional collaboration of natural resource and science agencies, conservation organizations, and private interests developed to strengthen the management and conservation of aquatic resources in the southeastern United States. The mission of this partnership is to protect, conserve, and restore aquatic resources including habitats throughout the Southeast.