Trek for Connectivity: Segment 12 ~ Agricultural Heartland of North Carolina

With longleaf pine savannas and Carolina Bays behind me, it was now time to start my trek along roadways for the larger part of the next 66 miles. Agricultural fields were plenty, boasting crop fields that yielded tobacco, soybeans, cotton, sweet potatoes, and more. The sky seemed to open up, creating dramatic backdrops to the large fields I walked by. While many see agricultural fields for the value they bring from the farm to our tables, I saw large-scale corridors that support wildlife movement through continuous land connection without the threat of urbanization. Countless open fields were to my left and right, creating a beautiful patchwork of stepping stones for wildlife between large swaths of habitat. This journey also provided ample opportunities for wildlife viewing from the roadside from deer, raccoon, wild turkey, and birds to the incredible moment I observed fox kits playing on a woodpile that adorned an older lot. I wondered if all of this room to roam was the cause of so many wildlife encounters on this section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

As I neared the end of this segment, the trail winded me through the Bentonville Battlefield, a National Historic Landmark that preserved the history surrounding the largest battle in North Carolina from the American Civil War. The trails and fields on this former battlefield intertwined America’s past with the preservation of over 2,000 acres of land with ongoing efforts to continue land acquisition to prevent development in this area. As I hiked the rolling hills and trails of the battlefield, I uncovered several different species of wildlife tracks from within the forest to the edges of the open fields. Noticing the beauty that surrounded the battlefield, I couldn’t help but appreciate the role this area plays for successful wildlife movement. This area has not only preserved a piece of our history but in the preservation of our past, it has protected the path of wildlife moving through the landscape, bringing into focus the fact that connectivity relies on land, historic and present day. To learn more about some of the work being done to protect the land here, visit the links below:

https://triangleland.org/news/100-year-old-family-farm-protected-forever-in-johnston-county

https://home.nps.gov/articles/000/restoring-the-bentonville-battlefield-a-combined-effort-to-preserve-the-last-major-battlefield-of-the-civil-war.htm#:~:text=Today%2C%20through%20the%20concentrated%20efforts,Bentonville%20Battlefield%20State%20Historic%20Site.

Story & Images by: Cassia Rivera