Preserving Habitat in the Southeast
Eagle Point Conservation Easement
Eagle Point Golf Course has 27-holes on about 231acres in New Hanover County. The course drains a tidal creek, locally known as Little Creek, which is a tributary of Middle Sound.
Much of the western edge of the course forms a natural buffer adjacent to Little Creek, which is designated shellfishing waters and an Outstanding Resource Water, the highest water-quality classification in the state. The 2001 Report on Environmental Quality of Wilmington and New Hanover County Watersheds found little pollution in the creek.
The Eagle Point Golf Course contains natural areas that buffer the surrounding land from potential environmental effects.
Development on the property includes a clubhouse, two cottages and maintenance buildings, but no private houses. To minimize pollution of the creek, the N.C. Coastal Federation in 2006 acquired a conservation easement on 218 acres in the golf course. The easement protects the creek by preventing further development that could increase polluted runoff. The easement also will:
- Protect habitat
- Demonstrate environmentally sustainable maintenance and operation practices for golf courses
- Serve as test case for similar projects
- Educate owners, operators and users of golf courses
 
(left) State officials tour the golf course to inspect the easement areas. (right) Drainage ditches are naturally vegetated top absorb runoff.
What Next
The federation, the New Hanover County Soil & Water Conservation District, N.C. State University and New Hanover County are working with Eagle Point owners to develop a watershed management plan that will include additional measures to further control and treat runoff. Eagle Point has been controlling runoff by reducing the amount of turf and by planting native grasses and trees along buffers to the creeks and drainages throughout the course. Reducing turf cuts the amount of fertilizers and herbicides needed to maintain the fairways and greens. The course maintenance staff also uses a global positioning system to apply the fertilizers and chemicals, which also reduces the amount of chemicals.
- View Eagle Point Fact Sheet
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