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For Immediate Release
January 14, 2010


(Charlotte, N.C.) – The Carolina Thread Trail (The Thread) will receive $1.5 million of the $5 million North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) monies released by Governor Bev Perdue today. The $1.5 million will be used to support local communities as they acquire land for trail segments along waterways throughout eleven North Carolina counties within The Thread’s fifteen county footprint. The $1.5 million is the first installment of a $3 million grant awarded to The Thread by CWMTF trustees in 2008.

The CWMTF award, the largest public gift to The Thread since its 2007 launch, will help protect water quality and create public recreation opportunities on an unprecedented regional scale. As N.C. communities self-identify their sections of The Thread, many are selecting buffer lands along streams and rivers in the Broad, Catawba and Yadkin-Pee-Dee river basins. These buffer areas filter pollutants, revive the water table, and support wildlife habitat. Trails hosted on these protected lands provide freely-accessible opportunities for walking, hiking, biking, paddling, commuting and simply enjoying.

“We are grateful to Governor Perdue and the Clean Water Trustees for their continued support for this project that delivers so much benefit to so many people,” said Dave Cable, executive director of Catawba Lands Conservancy, lead agency of the Carolina Thread Trail. “Public funding such as Clean Water is a critical complement to the private funds used to support communities as they plan for the protection of vital lands and waterways for generations to come.”

The Thread is funded by private capital that then leverages public funding. Since its launch in 2007, The Thread’s Governing Board and Grants Committee have awarded over $820,000 in catalytic funding to communities from the organization’s private capital campaign. Public funding, such as the $1.5 million CWMTF award, supplements those privately–funded awards that communities use to protect land and build trails.

“It’s inspiring to see engagement and collaboration among communities as they determine how The Thread will be woven throughout the region,” said Ann Browning, Carolina Thread Trail Project Director. “The Clean Water award will allow important conservation and recreation projects that communities have identified to quickly move forward.”

Over 150 counties, municipalities, civic organizations and agencies have signed resolutions of support for The Thread project to date. Six counties have fully-adopted master plans. Three counties are in the active planning stage and six counties are engaged in the citizen outreach phase. Eleven communities throughout North and South Carolina have marked Carolina Thread Trail segments being actively used and enjoyed by their citizens.

About Catawba Lands Conservancy

Catawba Lands Conservancy is a regional land trust that permanently protects land, water and wildlife habitat to enhance your quality of life. The Conservancy protects over 7,900 acres in Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Union counties and is one of 24 land trusts serving North Carolina. Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agency for the Carolina Thread Trail, an initiative that links more than two million citizens with hundreds of miles of trails that wind through fifteen counties in North and South Carolina.

About The Carolina Thread Trail

The Carolina Thread Trail (The Thread) is a 15-county, two state initiative designed to inspire and facilitate the creation of a regional network of trails, blueways, and conservation corridors that is growing to link more than 2.3 million citizens. With technical resources and catalytic funding from The Thread, local communities plan and implement their portions of this green interstate system. Catawba Lands Conservancy is the lead agency for The Thread, working in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, Foundation For The Carolinas, and many local partners and land trusts.


Additional Resources:
• www.catawbalands.org
• www.carolinathreadtrail.org