News From the Department
Sustainability Key To Model Cultural Resources Landscape Plan
For more information
contact Jeff Adolphsen at (919) 733-4763
or Joe Newberry at (919) 807-7391.
( RALEIGH) -- Prairie grasses at the N.C. Museum of Art, swept lawns at Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site, and plant selections based on limited water requirements are all elements of the recently completed Landscape Management Plan for the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The plan is a component of N.C. Project Green, an initiative geared toward sustainable planning practices for all state agencies. To view the plan, click on Cultural Resources Landscape Management Plan.
This model program establishes an environmentally and culturally conscientious roadmap for all landscape projects in the department. The term landscape management includes issues such as lawn cuttings and irrigation, maintenance issues, and historically appropriate plants at historic properties.
The idea of a well-maintained lawn is a notion of the early 20 th century. Before the concept of having a lawn was established, yards in North Carolina were usually broom swept clean of vegetation and everything else for sanitation purposes. However, the plan recommends that where grass is planted, it should be of a type that will accommodate heavy foot traffic.
The use of crops, where manageable, is encouraged in areas adjacent to yards and main buildings. For instance, land around Bentonville Battlefield in Johnston County is leased to farmers to help maintain the agricultural setting of the historic landscape for visitors.
Non-historic properties also are encouraged to select grasses that require less maintenance or watering; the use of irrigation systems is discouraged. The N.C. Museum of Art is developing a native Piedmont prairie ecosystem composed of native grasses and wildflowers on 20 acres of pasture adjoining the museum. A one-acre test tract is already being monitored. The Museum also plans to divert runoff from parking lots and buildings into a new underground storage tank, and will build a stormwater retention pond. The water collected in both locations will be used on new plantings at the museum.
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. For more information about the Department of Cultural Resources visit www.ncculture.com.
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