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Protected areas of North Carolina

North Carolina protected areas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Protected areas of North Carolina
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The protected areas of North Carolina cover roughly 3.8 million acres, making up 11% of the total land in the state.[1] 86.5% of this protected land is publicly owned and is managed by different federal and state level authorities and receive varying levels of protection.[1] Some areas are managed as wilderness while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation.[1] The remainder of the land is privately owned, but willingly entered into conservation easement management agreements, or are owned by various nonprofit conservation groups such as the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy.[1] North Carolina contains 1 National Park, and various other federally owned protected land including 2 National Seashores, 5 National Forests, 12 Wildlife Refuges, and the southern half of the Blue Ridge Parkway. North Carolina has an extensive state park system of 42 open units, 35 of which are state parks, 4 that are recreation areas, and 3 staffed state natural areas, along with other designated units managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.[2]

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Linville Gorge Wilderness
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Federal-level protection agencies

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Clingman's Dome; the tallest mountain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Carolina's federally protected areas are managed by agencies within the United States Department of the Interior. The agencies which govern nationally protected places in North Carolina are the National Park Service; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management; and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

National Parks

National Historic Sites

National Memorials

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Wright Brothers National Memorial

National Military Parks

National Battlefields

National Parkways

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Green Knob Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway

National Trails System

National Seashores

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Bodie Island in Cape Hatteras National Seashore

National Marine Sanctuary

National Estuarine Research Reserve

National Forests

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Cullusaja Falls in Nantahala National Forest

National Wildlife Refuges

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A Red Wolf; present in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

National Wilderness

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Shining Rock Wilderness

Wilderness Study Areas

  • Craggy Mountain Wilderness Study Area
  • Harper Creek Wilderness Study Area
  • Lost Cove Wilderness Study Area
  • Overflow Wilderness Study Area
  • Snowbird Wilderness Study Area

National Wild and Scenic Rivers

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Wilson's Creek
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State-level protection agencies

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Big Pinnacle of Pilot Mountain

Out of North Carolina's protected land, 250,000 acres of land and water is managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.[3] These areas include State Parks, State Recreation Areas, State Natural Areas, State Lakes, State Trails, State Rivers, State Forests, Educational State Forests, State Historic Sites, and NC Coastal Reserves.

State Parks

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Opera Box observation point at Chimney Rock State Park
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Lumber River State Park
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Tallest point east of the Mississippi River; Mount Mitchell State Park
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Grandfather Mountain State Park
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Hanging Rock State Park
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Cypress in Lake Singeltary State Park

State Recreation Areas

State Natural Areas

State Lakes

State Trails

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Mountains to Sea State Trail crossing under the Blue Ridge Parkway

State Rivers

State Forests

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Meteor shower in Bladen Lakes State Forest

Educational State Forests

State Historic Sites

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Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace State Historic Site
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Harper House at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
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Tryon Palace State Historic Site
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President James K. Polk State Historic Site, Pineville, NC

North Carolina Coastal Reserves

  • Kitty Hawk Woods North Carolina Coastal Reserve
  • Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge North Carolina Coastal Reserve
  • Buxton Woods North Carolina Coastal Reserve
  • Permuda Island
  • Bald Head Woods North Carolina Coastal Reserve
  • Bird Island
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Other

References

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