FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 18, 2002 Katawba Valley Land Trust Receives Conservation Easement from Crescent Resources The Katawba Valley Land Trust has received a conservation easement on land along Witherspoon Branch in eastern Lancaster County, it was announced today by D. Lindsay Pettus, President of the Trust. The eleven-acre easement is a donation from Crescent Resources, LLC, the land management and real estate development business unit of Duke Energy. Under the easement, Crescent voluntarily gives up the right to develop the land and assigns Katawba Valley Land Trust the duty to hold the easement in perpetuity. The land includes one mile of frontage set back 50 feet on both sides of Witherspoon Branch. "We are grateful to Crescent Resources for their continuing efforts to protect water quality in the Catawba River basin through the preservation of buffers along the river and its tributaries," said Pettus. "This is an excellent example of cooperative efforts by the private sector to achieve important public benefits." "In keeping with our commitment to a balance between long-term preservation and land developed in an environmentally sensitive manner, Crescent is pleased to present this easement to the Katawba Valley Land Trust," said Jim Short, senior vice president, land management for Crescent. Witherspoon Branch is a small tributary that drains an area near the Lancaster County Airport just north of S. C. Highway 9 and flows directly into the Catawba River. Protection of the land along stream channels by providing a vegetative buffer is one of the most effective means of improving water quality. The creation of buffers was one of the principal recommendations of the Catawba River Corridor Plan. The Katawba Valley Land Trust is a private, non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the protection of natural resources, open lands, water, historic resources, and vistas of aesthetic value in the Catawba River Valley and surrounding areas. For additional information, please contact D. Lindsday Pettus, President, at (803) 285-9455.

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