LELAND — A partnership between the Town of Leland and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission achieved its anticipated results with the development of an environmental conservation framework.

READ MORE: Leland receives $1M in grant money for flood mitigation on critical route 

The Green Network Master Plan Framework Guide details a strategy for conserving Leland’s terrestrial and aquatic natural habitats and connecting them through functional corridors. It has been in the works since the town and commission’s partnership was formed in 2022 and is included in the Leland 2045 Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2021 as part of the town’s objectives to protect natural and cultural resources and to create connected neighborhoods. 

The guide received unanimous approval from the council at their June 20 meeting. 

The Green Network Master Plan Framework Guide will influence development processes, as it will be adopted to support local government planning projects. This includes incorporating wildlife and natural resource conservation into land use and development planning, initiatives, and ordinances.

It directs the creation of greenways, blueways, and trails to establish a Green Network. This network will connect new and existing neighborhoods throughout the town, integrating them with surrounding natural environments and recreational resources. 

Additionally, the guide offers recommendations from the NCWRC on managing growth and implementing best practices to preserve environmental integrity. 

The NCWRC recommends strategies to protect natural habitats in Leland’s planning areas that could potentially be harmed by development. The recommendations include standards for environmentally friendly development and design; rules for protecting habitats and wildlife; plans to improve transportation systems; and strategies for creating and maintaining parks and open space. 

Included in their recommendations, particularly concerning the development process, are:

• Requiring developers to designate natural areas for permanent conservation.
• Requiring developers to create management plans for these conserved natural areas.
• Ensuring developments incorporate Best Management Practices (BMPs) to mitigate stormwater runoff and preserve water quality. This includes strategies like limiting grading and land alteration, maintaining natural contour and drainage patterns where possible, and encouraging the use of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques such as permeable paving and green roofs.
• Implementing setbacks to act as buffers, reducing the impact of developments on nearby environmentally sensitive natural areas.
• Exclude invasive and exotic species from the list of approved landscaping options.

“Certainly, NCWRC has provided their recommendations, but they can be curtailed and massaged into what we prefer, or how we see fit, within our code of ordinances,”  Griffee said during his presentation to council on Thursday. 

Currently the planning department requires developmental plans to align with the goals stated in the Leland 2045 Comprehensive Plan. 

The Leland 2045 comprehensive plan outlines goals and policies for Leland’s anticipated land and population growth. It emphasizes protecting natural resources, creating diverse neighborhoods that accommodate growth, and creating infrastructure that supports connected community life. 

Grifee mentioned that the guide already has plans to create a blueway, hitting the comprehensive plan’s goal of connectivity. A blueway is a designated waterway route intended for recreational use, particularly by non-motorized watercraft such as canoes and kayaks, and often serves to protect the environment.

“If you know there is another kayak launch or boat ramp in X amount of miles, then you could just plop it from one end and take it out on the other,” he said. 

Right now, there are designated canoe or kayak launches at Cypress Cove Park and Brunswick Nature Park. 

Maps included in the report show the addition of two water access points, one in Leland’s planning boundaries and the other near Old Fayetteville Road. 

The NCWRC also provided maps depicting the Leland planning area, highlighting endangered and threatened species, as well as parcels under conservation easements from local, state, federal, and private owners. 

The map relies on guidance from the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program to identify areas of significant environmental value. According to the NCHP, seven areas in Leland are classified as very high or exceptionally high in terms of natural importance. Specifically, the Brunswick River and Cape Fear River marshes, Town Creek marshes and swamp, and Town Creek Aquatic Habitat are considered exceptionally high. 

Goose Pond Limesinks, Rabontown Limesinks, Pleasant Oaks and Goose Landing Plantations, and the Lower Cape Fear River Aquatic Habitat are classified as very high.

Criteria for the scale considered the presence of endangered species, rare terrestrial or aquatic communities, unique ecological types, and significant biological or ecological phenomena. The assessment also takes into account the natural diversity of the surrounding area. 

During the meeting, one council member raised questions about the guides implementation.

“I see a lot of this bleeding over into parks, trails, and development, and so I guess [my question] is more of the implementation: When do we—how do we—-bring these elements into those plans?” council member, Veronica Carter, said at the meeting.

Community development Planner Julian Griffee told Port City Daily in an interview Friday that, as of right now, the plan stands more as guidance. 

“It doesn’t per se, have teeth, it’s not something we can enforce,” he said. “However, similar to Leland 2045, it provides insight on regulations or policies we might want to adopt or incorporate into our code of ordinances, that we can actually enforce.”

Council did not give any direction on how it would move forward with the plan and whether they would propose any ordinance changes as a result.

“The next step would be to take a look at: ‘How do we incorporate some of these themes into our regulations to accommodate the growth that balances environmental preservation with the development of the need to accommodate the growing population?” Planning Director Benjamin Andrea said. 

Tips or comments? Email jalyn@localdailymedia.com.

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HIGH POINT, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina authorities issued an alert Saturday about a woman who is in danger or is possibly abducted or kidnapped.

India Palshett Abney, 31, is the subject of an Ashanti Alert that was issued at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

Ashanti Alerts are issued when there is “evidence of physical endangerment, abduction or kidnapping.”

The alert said Abney is with Evan Rashad Gainey, 32. The duo were last seen in the area of Mobile Street and Cliffside Avenue in High Point, the alert said.

The pair are traveling in High Point and possibly headed to Greensboro in a black Mercedes Benz with PKN-8095 as the license plate, the alert said.

However, police said the license plate does not belong on the Mercedes.

The High Point Police Department initiated the alert.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Just as the first week of summer is getting underway, things have been busy at the North Carolina coast — with a reported shark bite, an alligator scare and about 150 water rescues amid dangerous rip currents.

Summer began on Thursday and much of the coast has been under a red flag warning for a high risk of rip tides. There were nearly 150 rip current rescues along New Hanover County beaches starting Wednesday and continuing through Saturday — with more than 80 at Carolina Beach, the National Weather Service said.

On Tuesday a man was sent to an area hospital after a “shark bite” at an island beach in Brunswick County, near the South Carolina border.

The incident, which was initially called a shark bite, was reported just before 11:25 a.m. in the surf at Sunset Beach.

A 20-year-old man was swimming near East Main Street the 11th Street area when he was bitten on the lower leg and was “immediately” taken by Brunswick County Emergency Medical Services to a hospital, according to Sunset Beach Police Department.

Police later said a cut on the man’s leg was caused by “some sort of sea life” but could not confirm it was a shark bite.

On Wednesday — nearly a half mile off the coast of Oak Island — crews had to rescue two youths on a paddle board who had drifted out to sea, officials said.

Oak Island Water Rescue and the U.S Coast Guard were involved in the rescue around 3:35 p.m. which involved getting the pair back to the Brunswick County island. East to West longshore currents and offshore winds forced the pair about 2,000 feet off the beach, according to the Oak Island Fire Department.

A drone flew out to the pair who were far off Barbee Boulevard. The youths communicated with the device using the camera and a speaker on the drone, the Oak Island Fire Department said.

On Thursday — also at Sunset Beach — an alligator lurking under a car frightened folks at a Mexican restaurant, police said.

The alligator was only 5 feet long but the animal’s head looked menacing sticking out from the side under a car, according to photos from the Sunset Beach Police Department.

Wildlife crews and police were called Thursday afternoon to Las Palmeras Mexican Restaurant on Chandlers Lane, near the Food Lion in Sunset Beach.

“When the officers arrived, the alligator was tucked under the vehicle with his head peering out from the driver’s side door blocking access to the vehicle,” police said.

Crews and police managed to get control of the gator “out of concern for the safety of the vehicle owner” and move it to a nearby pond, according to police.

“Never approach an alligator or allow children near them. Alligators can move very quickly over short distances,” Sunset Beach Police said.

As the weekend was underway, red flag and high rip current warnings continued along many North Carolina beaches.

The total water rescues for Wednesday and Thursday in New Hanover County was 20 at Kure Beach, 14 at Wrightsville Beach and 35 at Carolina Beach, the National Weather Service reported. There were two Carteret County rip current rescues reported in Atlantic Beach on Thursday.

On Friday and Saturday, there were 38 water rescues at Carolina Beach, 21 at Kure Beach and 10 at Wrightsville Beach, the National Weather Service told CBS 17 Saturday.

Dangerous rip currents were reported Saturday from Cape Hatteras to Surf City. The National Weather Service also reported dangerous rip currents in Pender and New Hanover counties.

Saturday, the National Weather Service in Wilmington told CBS 17 that the forecast for dangerous rip currents in New Hanover and Brunswick County was likely to diminish for the rest of the weekend.