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State Natural Heritage Program releases updated inventory for Chatham County; planners say it will guide conservation decisions
Summary
A 2025 Natural Heritage Program inventory for Chatham County identified 56 natural areas (six new, 13 expanded) after surveys of ~7,500 acres; county planners said the data will be used in development review and conservation subdivision guidance to protect riparian and rare habitats.
County planning staff and Natural Heritage Program staff presented the newly finalized 2025 natural area inventory for Chatham County on Oct. 20.
Erin Ansbro (S8), the county’s conservation and resiliency planner, introduced the findings and explained how planning staff will apply the inventory during development review, including conservation subdivision options where developers may compact housing to conserve 40% of a parcel as natural space and use Natural Heritage Program (NHP) surveys to identify conservation areas. Mary Conlin (S29), project botanist for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, summarized the field effort: she surveyed 112 parcels covering about 7,500 acres, newly described six natural areas, expanded 13, subtracted ~300 acres for severely degraded sites and now lists 56 natural areas for the county, with aquatic/riparian sites rated “exceptional.”
Conlin said the inventory updated records for rare plant species, mapped 32 natural communities including dry basic oak‑hickory and Piedmont boggy stream heads, and added county records for multiple species. "All three aquatic habitats are rated exceptional," Conlin told the board (S29). Ansbro said the county will offer a pilot program to contact landowners not included in this round of surveying and will use the NHP GIS layers in the county Conservation Viewer to inform development review, trails planning and conservation easement conversations.
