Parks and Recreation Director Amy Beatty presented the details of the state’s heritage registry program, which aims to preserve the unique biodiversity of natural heritage sites (that are significant due to the presence of rare species and natural communities), and promote scientific research of their ecosystems.
Beatty said the program “does affirm City Council’s intentions to continue to preserve the open space at Halyburton Park, and is an additional tool that we can use to promote the park to residents and visitors.”
The registry agreement maintains the city’s ownership of the Sandhills property, which is approximately 51 acres and hosts a number of rare plants, including the Pondspice, the lanceleaf seedbox, and the West Indies meadowbeauty. The registry also recommends that the site be maintained through prescribed burning and by mitigating foot traffic in more sensitive areas…