The
swamp the state owns in the middle of Pamlico County may be
changing hands.
Then again, it may not, if one state agency has its way.
At issue is the state-owned Light Ground Pocosin, 1,094 acres
of
wooded wetlands and lowlands between highways 306 and 1005.
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The
red star marks the location of the property
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The state
sees the Light Ground Pocosin as surplus property and this winter
put it on the bidding block. The deadline for bids was two weeks
ago.
But the state agency that works to clean up NC's rivers has
asked
Governor Easley to not sell the pocosin.
The Clean Water Management Trust Fund says much of the pocosin
is wetland, which means it works as a natural filter for waters
that make their way to the Pamlico Sound.
Clean Water Management Trust Fund Executive director Bill Holman
says it's property like this that the Trust Fund has been buying
in order to improve water quality across the state. The thinking
has been that if the Trust Fund — a state agency - buys
land near rivers and bays and sounds, it can reduce the runoff
that would otherwise happen if the land were developed commercially.
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Typical
ground cover on the Light Ground Pocosin (EPA photo)
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Til now
though, the Trust Fund has only looked to buy private lands,
on the thinking that state lands would remain state lands.
Holman says he thought that since the state already owned the
pocosin wetland in Pamlico County, it wouldn't try to sell it.
"If the state already owns it, it makes sense to keep that
property for the water quality benefit."
But instead, the state put the pocosin on the market.
It may be a case of one state agency not knowing what the other
was doing. Before the 11 hundred acres in Pamlico County were
offered for bid, Holman says, the NC Dept of Administration
was supposed to notify all other agencies — including
his — and see if they had an interest in it.
But the Trust Fund didn't learn of the bids until last month,
at which point it sent a letter to Governor Easley asking that
the state not sell the pocosin as 'surplus property'. The CWMTF
offered one alternative: placing what's called a 'conservation
easement' on the land before selling it. That, says Holman could
put restrictions on the land that prevented future commercial
development.
According to the CWMTF, the state has estimated the timber on
the tract worth $795,000 and received two bids, one for $640,000.
Holman says he understands one bidder was interested in cutting
the timber and then replanting trees for more timber harvesting
in the future.
Holman adds that the state-owned pocosin is currently surrounded
by other land owners and the public has no access to it (without
crossing the property of the others).
To comment
on the land sale, contact:
State Representative Mike Gorman(R)
919-715-3019
michaelg@ncleg.net
State
Senator Scott Thomas(D).
919-733-6275
scottt@ncleg.net
New
info on April 13:
The Pamlico County Rural Development panel
is working to prevent the sale of the Light Ground Pocosin.
They have created a web site at bearpocosin.org.
