In a unique agreement, three North Carolina-based conservation groups will permanently protect Bluestem Conservation Cemetery, the first conservation cemetery in central North Carolina and one of only 13 such cemeteries in the country. Bluestem Community has donated a conservation easement to Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) and Eno River Association that will protect the 87-acre preserve located in Cedar Grove. TLC and Eno River Association will co-hold and monitor Bluestem’s easement.
“We’re excited to announce the donation of a conservation easement to two venerable land trusts, Eno River Association and Triangle Land Conservancy,” said Jeff Masten and Heidi Hannapel, Bluestem Co-Directors, in a joint statement. “Ten years ago, we imagined a project that would conserve and restore important wildlife habitat, develop a publicly accessible nature preserve, all the while creating a place for families to bury their loved ones simply and naturally. This conservation partnership ensures the permanent protection of an 87-acre grassland and forest preserve in Orange County and provides perpetual monitoring of the easement to ensure its conservation values are upheld. Combining forces illustrates how the mission of Bluestem and these land trusts is a natural fit and perpetually conserves and protects sacred land.”
“Triangle Land Conservancy is excited to complete our first conservation cemetery easement with our colleagues at Bluestem Community and the Eno River Association,” said Bo Howes, TLC’s Director of Land Protection and Stewardship (West). “The easement will protect the streams that flow through the property as well as the meadows and forests in this space, while allowing for natural burials in a responsible manner. We are pleased that this will be both a cemetery and a place for people to visit and experience nature at its finest.”
“It is a pleasure to have closed on this beautiful property with such steadfast conservation partners,” said Reema Garabadu, Land Conservation Manager for the Eno River Association. “Not only do we all bolster each other’s missions; by having public access to this property, we are increasing education around conservation easements and natural burials, as well as providing natural resource access. The Eno River watershed is certainly better off with the permanent protection of Bluestem Conservation Cemetery.”
The working lands easement allows certain uses on the preserve, including green burials, support structures for the cemetery, and recreation such as hiking and birdwatching. The easement protects the property from residential housing, subdivision, and commercial development.
In 2015, conservationists Masten and Hannapel crafted a vision for Bluestem and began researching and planning for a conservation burial project in the Triangle. In January 2022, with the support of generous private donations, Bluestem Community acquired 87 acres of open land and Piedmont forest in Cedar Grove. Open to the public since 2022, the preserve offers more than 3.5 miles of trails, all built and managed by volunteers.
In a conservation cemetery,or conservation burial ground, natural burial practices coexist with the care and protection of the land’s natural resources. Certified Conservation Cemeteries are required to partner with a conservation organization that holds and monitors a conservation easement placed over the land.
Natural burial is a return to practices that were common in the United States prior to the Civil War. Everything used in the process is natural and biodegradable to reduce environmental impact and protect workers’ health. Green burials do not allow embalming, vaults, steel or metal caskets, and further limit the introduction of non-biodegradable materials into the earth, such as finished wood products, synthetics, and formaldehyde. Over time these items have the potential to leach into nearby subsurface waters. In contrast, natural and rapid decomposition supports soil health, enhances plant diversity, and reduces the risk of nearby water contamination. Bluestem subscribes to the conservation burial standards set by the Green Burial Council.
As part of their conservation mission, Bluestem staff and volunteers are restoring former farm fields into grasslands by planting over fifty native species such as little Bluestem, lance leaf coreopsis, and monarda punctata. They are also designing stormwater catchments and riparian buffer enhancements to help protect streams that are part of the headwaters of the Neuse and Roanoke River basins.
Bluestem Preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk every day and is located at 1900 Hurdle Mills Road, Cedar Grove, North Carolina. For more information, visit www.bluestemcemetery.org.
About Bluestem
Bluestem Community is the nonprofit operator of an 87 acre nature preserve in Cedar Grove, NC. Designed as a place of reverence with a conservation cemetery, Bluestem is open to the public every day, dawn to dusk. Visitors will find a community supported open space for healing and worship in nature, 3.5 miles of trails and pathways, and quiet woodland sanctuary areas for reflection. Bluestem’s conservation cemetery subscribes to the green burial practices as defined by the Green Burial Council: no embalming, no vaults, and no metal or steel caskets. At Bluestem, staff and volunteers support individuals and their families in choosing a simpler, more natural return to the earth. Learn more at www.bluestemcemetery.org
About Triangle Land Conservancy
Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) strives to create a healthier and more vibrant Triangle region by safeguarding clean water, protecting natural habitats, supporting local farms and food, and connecting people with nature through land protection and stewardship, catalyzing community action and collaboration. TLC has helped protect over 25,000 acres in the Triangle, including seven public nature preserves that offer over 54 miles of trails. Learn more at www.triangleland.org.
About Eno River Association
The Eno River Association is an accredited land trust and watershed nonprofit founded in 1966 with a mission to protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the Eno River basin in northern Durham and Orange counties. One of the early projects the Association championed was the creation of Eno River State Park, and since then, the Association has supported the Park through land acquisitions, education program delivery, advocacy, and awareness. The Association is the Park’s official “Friends” group, and the Association board of directors also serves as the Park’s advisory committee. In addition to Eno River State Park, the Association helped create other local, state, and regional nature parks along the Eno and its tributaries, including Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, West Point on the Eno City Park, Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve, Little River Regional Park, and the Confluence Natural Area. The Association continues to acquire land and secure easements, as well as provide stewardship, education programs, and events like the annual Festival for the Eno to inspire others to prioritize our local, natural resources. Learn more at enoriver.org.
