North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 07 - Natural and Cultural Resources › Chapter 13 - PARKS AND RECREATION AREA RULES › Subchapter H - NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM › Section .0400 - MANAGEMENT; USE; AND PROTECTION OF DEDICATED NATURE PRESERVES › Section 13H .0402 - MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
The following management principles shall apply to all dedicated
					 preserves, unless exceptions are expressly provided in the Articles of
					 Dedication:
(1) the natural character of
				  the property shall be maintained;
(2)
				  improvements, including building of all types, trails, parking areas, vehicular
				  roadways, signs, fences, steps, and bridges, shall only be constructed when approved
				  by the Secretary or his or her designee as necessary for the security, safety,
				  access of the public or for the maintenance and management of the
				  preserve;
(3) destruction of flora and
				  fauna shall not be permitted except for the purpose of preserving species and
				  natural communities of concern, or for the purpose of establishing and maintaining
				  public access facilities. In case of either exception, and upon approval of the
				  exception by the Secretary or his or her designee, manipulation of the flora and
				  fauna shall be consistent and compatible with the ecological character of the area
				  and shall not be damaging or detrimental to the preserve;
(4) no motorized vehicles shall be permitted on
				  the dedicated property other than those utilized by the owner or the owner's agents
				  in management and protection of the property or used by the general public for
				  ingress and egress to the property in compliance with the management plan for the
				  preserve;
(5) no signs, billboards, or
				  other advertising of any kind shall be erected, with the exception of informational
				  and directional signs, designed by the Secretary, owner, or State agency, related to
				  the designation of the area as a preserve or for public access to the
				  preserve;
(6) no change shall be made in
				  the topography of the preserve except as approved by the Secretary or his or her
				  designee for those alterations that may be necessary to provide on-foot access to
				  the public for visitation or observation, if the change is compatible and consistent
				  with the character of the property, and where no detrimental effect will
				  result;
(7) no activity shall be allowed
				  that may pollute any stream or body of water in the preserve;
(8) no stream in the preserve shall be dammed,
				  impounded, or have its course altered as a result of human activity;
(9) visitor activities shall be controlled to
				  prevent disturbance and environmental degradation of the preserve;
(10) prescribed fire and necessary fire lines may
				  be used as management tools to maintain or protect the natural community
				  type;
(11) the cutting or removal of
				  trees, dead or alive, shall be prohibited, except when it is necessary for public
				  safety, as determined by the Secretary, owner, or State agency;
(12) persons wishing to engage in scientific
				  research or collection of natural materials within a preserve shall first secure
				  written permission from the owner or the State agency;
(13) when necessary, as determined by the
				  Secretary, owner, or State agency, boundaries of a preserve shall be made evident by
				  placing markers or boundary signs at corners and other strategic
				  locations;
(14) control of exotic
				  (non-native) species may be undertaken where eradication may be accomplished without
				  disturbance of the area's natural conditions; and
(15) no other acts or uses that are detrimental to
				  the maintenance of the property in its natural condition shall be allowed, including
				  disturbance of the soil, mining, commercial or industrial uses, timber harvesting,
				  ditching and draining, or depositing waste materials.
Authority
					 G.S.
					 143B-135.256;
					 143B-135.262;
Eff.
					 January 1, 1986;
Readopted Eff. March 1, 2017;
Transferred
					 from 15A NCAC
					 12H .0402 Eff. April 1,
					 2017.