At a Glance
Horseshoe Farm Park was selected by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) to participate in a new international sustainability program testing the first rating system for green landscape design, construction, and maintenance.
Project Description
The City of Raleigh’s Parks and Recreation Department enlisted Biohabitats to help in transforming a historic farm into a nature preserve park. The City appointed a Wildlife Habitat Zone Advisory Team of local experts consisting of university professors, state wildlife agency scientists, NC Natural Heritage Program scientists, the Audubon Society and the Wild Turkey Federation to study the site. This advisory team provided recommendations for the protection and preservation of the site’s natural resources, the creation of a butterfly meadow and restoration of native warm season grass habitat in the existing pasture. Biohabitats was tasked with exploring management options to achieve the vision and recommendations of the advisory team.
Using decades of experience in conservation planning, interviews with experts, and scientific literature research, Biohabitats provided management options to guide the transition from farm to nature preserve. Objectives included preserving the floodplain forest on the Neuse River, protecting pristine floodplain wetlands in the forest, creating the butterfly meadow with native species, and converting approximately 55 acres of pasture into native, warm season grass habitat.
To improve the site’s ecological sustainability, Biohabitats also provided information regarding the control of invasive plant species, the impacts of deer on native vegetation, and the design and maintenance of low impact trails.