Triangle Land Conservancy

New preserve, new sticker. 👀

And with National Trails Day happening tomorrow, there’s no better time to lace up your boots and hit the trail! 🥾 To celebrate the opening of Old Creedmoor, our friend, Jade Shepherd, at Perpetual Pen Studio created this beautiful new sticker for TLC’s Hiking Challenge. Want to add it to your collection? The challenge is simple:

📝 Enroll in the Hiking Challenge at https://triangleland.org/hiking-challenge
🥾 Visit all 8 of TLC’s public nature preserves within a year
📍 Log your hikes as you go
🎉 Complete 4 hikes to earn a TLC patch and stickers for every preserve you've visited
🏆 Finish all 8 hikes to receive your remaining preserve stickers along with a TLC prize pack

Ready to start collecting? Hit the trails, celebrate National Trails Day, and join the challenge today!

📣Brumley North Nature Preserve will be closed tomorrow June 3 so that TLC staff can safely conduct a prescribed burn. Fire is an effective and safe management tool when used in the right conditions by trained professionals. 🔥

This prescribed fire will promote native grass and forb growth in open areas, control invasive shrubs, thin woody understory plants and reduce fuel load.🌳Please do not enter the preserve so that we can conduct this burn safely. Thank you!

✨ TLC is a a proud partner of NC Adapted Sports ✨

Through adaptive cycling, trail assessments, and community partnerships, NC Adapted Sports is helping make the outdoors more accessible for people with mobility impairments across North Carolina.

Read our latest Partner Spotlight to learn about from NCAS' co-founder, Wes Hall, about their work, their partnership with TLC, and how they're helping more people experience the benefits of time spent outdoors. 🔗 https://triangleland.org/news/breaking-barriers-building-access-nc-adaptive-sports-spotlight

📷 photo by Florencia Loncán
📷 photo courtesy of Wes Hall

Old Creedmoor Nature Preserve is officially open! 🎉🌲

This morning, we celebrated the opening of TLC’s newest public preserve with a ribbon cutting alongside Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell, Wake County Commissioner Shinica Thomas, Raleigh Water Assistant Director Ed Buchan, community partners, and supporters who helped make this vision possible.

What was once slated for development is now permanently protected as 65 acres of mature forest, critical streams, and nearly four miles of multi-use trails for hiking and mountain biking. 🚵🥾

We’re also incredibly grateful to the many funders who helped make Old Creedmoor possible, including the City of Raleigh Watershed Protection Program and the Wake County Open Space Program. Additional funding to open the preserve came from the State of NC through the Great Trails State Grant Program, The Caterpillar Foundation, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, and The Barnhill Family Foundation.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate this incredible community effort to protect clean water, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation in northern Wake County. We can’t wait to see you at Old Creedmoor!

Learn more about this new preserve at TLC’s blog, The Dirt, at https://triangleland.org/news/old-creedmoor-now-open

Earlier this month, TLC staff traded their field clothes for blazers and headed to the state capitol to advocate for the future of conservation in North Carolina. 🌲🏛️

Alongside landowners and conservation partners from across the state, we met with local legislators to discuss the importance of funding that protects farms, forests, natural areas, and public access to land. These investments help make conservation projects across the Triangle and beyond possible — including future preserves like Rose Dairy Farm in Johnston County.

From farmland preservation funding to the extension of the NC Conservation Tax Credit, these decisions have a direct impact on the land, water, and communities we all care about.

Read the full blog to learn more about local conservation funding and why advocacy matters at https://triangleland.org/news/2026-farmland-preservation-advocacy-day

📷 TLC's Melissa Clunan and Leigh Ann Hammerbacher with Representative Sarah Crawford.
📷 TLC's Leigh Ann Hammerbacher with Representative James Roberson and farmer, Patrick Johnson.
📷 Representative James Roberson talking to a group of farmland protection supporters.

Big news for Johnston County!

The 308-acre Rose Dairy property near Smithfield will become Johnston County Government’s first publicly-owned nature preserve later this year – an exciting milestone for conservation and outdoor recreation in one of NC’s fastest growing regions.

On May 19, TLC officially transferred the property to the county. This site, which is permanently protected by a conservation easement, safeguards a significant portion of the Neuse River floodplain and wetlands, helping protect regional water quality for generations to come.

Future park features will include:
🌻 Large, picturesque fields of native wildflowers and grasses
🌳 Walking trails
🎣 Fishing access
🚣 Paddle access to Black Creek and the Neuse River
🥾 Connection to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail

This conservation win would not be possible without funding from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, Complete the Trail Program, Johnston County, The Winston Family Foundation, and TLC donors.

Park infrastructure is still under construction, and the property is currently closed to the public, but keep an eye out for more updates in the coming months!

📸Photos
1. Wildflower field by Johnston County Staff
2. View of Black Creek by TLC Staff
3.Tractor and wildflower field by Johnston County Staff
4. Aerial view of farm by TLC Staff
5. Barn by Johnston County Staff

What a weekend celebrating the power of partnership 💙🚲

Last month, we had a great time with Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC), celebrating the new Brumley Bridge with group rides, inspiring remarks, and great company. Thanks to a generous $20,000 contribution from Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, along with the support of TLC donors, we’ve rebuilt a stronger bridge that will serve the community for years to come.

Beyond this project, TORC volunteers contribute thousands of hours as trail stewards, helping monitor conditions, lead cleanups after major storms, and keep trails maintained at both Williamson and Brumley South. Their impact can be seen across TLC preserves through critical trail improvements and ongoing support managing trail access year-round.

This project is a testament to what’s possible when we work together. Here’s to stronger trails, stronger connections, and many more miles ahead 🌿

At Horton Grove Preserve, loblolly pines reflect the past, while scattered shortleaf pines point to the future. With land management practices like prescribed fire, TLC is working to restore more open, resilient forests where shortleaf pines can once again be pillars of the landscape. Learn more about these important trees at TLC's blog, The Dirt, at https://triangleland.org/news/reading-the-landscape-the-shortleaf-pine-on-tlc-preserves

📷 Don Kinney