Current neighbors of the Elks Club, former neighbors and Southern Pines residents all of whom greatly value having the green space provided by the Elks Little Nine Golf Course, the driving ranges and the surrounding woodlands for the last sixty-seven years; have created the Little Nine Conservancy to protect this area from over development by developers. The Little Nine built circa 1906 has become a place where residents walk their dogs, bike, play with their children in the winter time, and the Pinecrest High School is able to host their track meets. The Conservancy is an effort by the residents of Southern Pines and the surrounding Sandhills area to preserve this wonderful wooded area.
Our Mission is to protect and sustain approximately 100 acres of the Little Nine Golf course and adjacent land for the next generations to enjoy.
Our Goals:
Goal 1: To protect the headwaters of Aberdeen Creek (the most urbanized tributary of the Lumber River) from contaminated runoff and sedimentation inherent in residential development, which currently threatens the Subject Property. A natural spring arises on the Subject Property, forming the headwaters of Aberdeen Creek (NC Hydrologic SubUnit 030402030202), which flows into Drowning Creek, a
High-Quality Water designated by the State. The Lumber River is called Drowning Creek in Moore County, where it serves as the boundary between Richmond and Moore Counties.
Goal 2: To augment an existing network of municipal, state and privately protected natural areas – namely, The Paint Hill Annex to Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve (a state park), Ray’s Mill Park (a municipal park owned by the Town of Aberdeen), and the McDonald-Ray Farm (a privately owned family farm protected with a conservation easement currently held by Three Rivers Land Trust, Inc.).
Goal 3: To protect the diverse wildlife population currently inhabiting the property, primarily in the approximately 60 acres of woods on the Subject Property, which lie between the fifth hole of the unused golf course contained within the Subject Property and Aberdeen’s Ray’s Mill Park, an adjoining parcel. This acreage provides habitat appropriate for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker
(Picoides borealis), the blue heron (Ardea herodias) and more than 100 other species of birds native to the Sandhills region of North Carolina, and other wildlife such as white tail deer, red foxes, raccoons, gray squirrels, various reptiles.
Goal 4: To protect a natural open space for recreational use by residents of Moore County, particularly high school and junior high school cross-country runners from across the Sandhills region of North Carolina, who train and compete on the Subject
Property.
Goal 5: To protect the historic layout of the Donald Ross designed golf course, dating to 1906, known locally as” The Little Nine”.
Who we are and What we stand for:
