The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program provides natural area and rare species information to landowners, consulting firms, local, state, and federal agencies, as well as conservation organizations and private citizens. This information is used for conservation planning and to facilitate the design and implementation of ecologically sound development projects. New pipeline corridors, roads, communication towers, municipal utility projects, and general conservation planning are excellent examples of projects where Natural Heritage Program information is useful.

Information provided may include any of the following:

• Records of rare, endangered, or threatened species; high quality natural communities; and Significant Natural Heritage Areas known in an area.
• County lists of rare species and high quality natural communities.
• Additional information (habitat descriptions; species accounts summarizing biological and ecological factors, threats, and management needs; etc.) on request.

To obtain information about North Carolina:

• On-line Database Search- Search our database by county or by quad.
• North Carolina Atlas of Freshwater Mussels and Endangered Fish
• Natural Heritage List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina
• Natural Heritage List of Rare Animal Species of North Carolina
• GIS Coverage- The Natural Heritage Program data is available as two GIS coverages from the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis:

1. Natural Heritage Element Occurrences (NHEO): A point coverage identifying locations of rare and endangered species, occurrences of exemplary or unique natural ecosystems (terrestrial or aquatic), and special animal habitats (e.g., colonial waterbird nesting sites).

2. Significant Natural Heritage Areas (SNHA): A polygon coverage identifying sites (terrestrial or aquatic) that have particular biodiversity significance. A site's significance may be due to the presence of rare species, rare or high quality natural communities, or other important ecological features.

• Site specific requests-To request information about a specific site, please submit:

1. A cover letter describing the proposed activity, including existing vegetation cover, structures at the site, and the type of data requested.

2. A photocopy of a portion of a USGS topographic map with the project area clearly outlined and the name of the quadrangle used. A county map with major highways, rivers, creeks, and towns labeled is acceptable if accompanied by a project site map.

For conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada search the new on-line database at NatureServe Explorer .

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