St. James

NALT holds conservation easements on 6 properties consisting of golf courses, wetland communities, riparian corridors and other sensitive environmental areas within the community of St. James, NC which were identified and documented by NALT and the owners prior to construction of the St. James Community. The long-term sustainability and potential enhancement of these features was then carefully considered and incorporated into the overall design through the implementation of a Wetland Protection and Ecotone Conservation Plan. This progressive plan outlined the design and construction steps that were taken including long-term maintenance guidelines. The Reserve Club Golf course was designed to qualify as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. This is a volunteer program initiated by the owner that recognizes the property’s high standards of environmental management.  

The Wetlands encompass an unnamed tributary of Beaver Dam Creek and large areas of coastal plain small steam swamp wetlands, an important natural community delineated and regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act.  It also includes a rare Carolina Bay wetland ecosystem. This unique feature contains high quality examples of Low and High Pocosin and Pond Pine community types and provides excellent habitat for a number of rare and endangered species. The large unfragmented areas of protected open space created by the Conservation Easement will provide wildlife travel corridors for a variety of important species native in North Carolina including the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the state threatened American alligator.