Trust Gets River Acreage From the Lancaster News, May 25, 2001, page 9A Gregory A. Summers Staff Writer Lindsay Pettus stood on the west bank of the Catawba River beneath the shade of two towering birch trees listening to the chorus of songbirds coming from the rich, emerald-green forest. The sound was music to his ears. Those birds got an added measure of protection Wednesday when Crescent Resources permanently designated a 170-acre tract along the river to the Katawba Valley Land Trust. Crescent, the real estate arm of Duke Energy, granted a second 150-acre conservation easement on its property along Catawba Creek near Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Gaston County, N. C. "There is no doubt these two areas hold great environmental and historical significance," said Jim Short, senior vice president of Crescent Resources. "Our efforts to preserve the streambanks with easements will not only preserve these vital waterways but help ensure water quality in the river for the future." "Andrew Jackson, as a boy, would've crossed the shoals here," Pettus said, as he looked off in the distance. "Robert Mills once said there was no more beautiful place on earth to him than being on the banks of the Catawba River." The tract stretches from just below Bowater property to the Landsford Canal State Park border. Pettus said KVLT is now responsible for about 2,300 acres which have been protected through easement or acquisition. "We can't rely on the government to buy all the land that needs to be protected," said Ron Altman, director of the Catawba Lands Conservancy. "It must be done through private and corporate partnerships. Water quality is the relevant issue of the day for the Catawba." In April, American Rivers, a national river conservation organization, named the Catawba the 13th most endangered river in the United States. The designation is a "call to decision makers to hear the voices of the friends of that river." The problems in the Catawba, the report cites, are caused by land development, sewage discharges and spills and water withdrawals. The greatest danger to the river's future is that development will continue to race forward without the protection of irreplaceable resources. Most of the acreage the land trust has acquired along the river is unsuitable for development. The shoals located near the park are home to what is believed to be the world's largest concentration of rocky shoals spider lilies, which are in full bloom right now. "The forests along the easement area of the river are absolutely beautiful," said local kayaker Bill Stokes. "There's really no other way to describe it." Founded in 1995, the Katawba Valley Land Trust is a private organization dedicated to protecting natural resources, open lands, waters and historic resources in the Catawba River Valley in York, Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, and Kershaw counties. It was an off-shoot of the Catawba River Corridor Plan put in effect in the early 1990s. The trust now has about 250 members. "This should protect several streams flowing into the river," Pettus said. "I've really come to understand what we've been given here - this is a real quality easement." Pettus said the development of buffers and the protection of resources in the Landsford Shoals area are two of the priorities listed in the South Carolina Catawba River Study. "We appreciate the confidence Crescent has demonstrated through this donation." Pettus said. "We hope to continue partnering with Crescent in in our efforts to protect the natural resources and water quality of the Catawba River Valley. Crescent has also set up a $500,000 fund to reimburse private landowners along the Catawba who apply for conservation easements on their property, said Carla DuPuy, director of environmental affairs for Crescent Resources. "We've found ideal partners in both the Katawba Valley Land Trust and the Catawba Lands Conservancy," Dupuy said. "The goal of this initiative is to protect the water before it gets to the lakes and rivers - that's where our commitment is."

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