Whitewater Center expansion adds forest and trail, protects Catawba River tributary

A state-funded move to protect 193 acres of forest at the U.S. National Whitewater Center will add 1.5 miles to the Carolina Thread Trail, a regional trails network, along Long Creek in southwestern Mecklenburg County.

The state Clean Water Management Trust Fund granted $1 million to acquire the land in a partnership between the Whitewater Center and the Catawba Lands Conservancy.

The addition expands Whitewater Center-owned land and, through a conservation easement, adds to the conservancy's 1,060-acre Long Creek conservation area. Long Creek flows into the Catawba River, the water supply for more than 2 million people.

“Protecting land like this, which directly impacts the Catawba River, is one of our highest priorities as we work to safeguard our region’s water supply,” Tom Okel, executive director of the conservancy and the Carolina Thread Trail, said in a statement Thursday.

In 2015 the center purchased 488 acres near its Charlotte campus, significantly expanding the recreational center’s holdings, according to real estate records.

The existing Long Creek Trail is 2.9 miles. It's popular among mountain bikers and connects to the Whitewater Center by the Figure 8 Trail. The center's property, initially 270 acres, has expanded to 1,300 acres as it protects land adjacent to its waterways.

The newly conserved land is listed as a significant natural area by the N.C. Natural Heritage program because it contains high-quality natural communities and rare plants.

This story was originally published June 28, 2018 at 12:00 AM.