A private 32-acre preserve in Wake County
About Temple Flat Rock Preserve
Temple Flat Rock Preserve in northeastern Wake County was TLC’s first conservation project back in 1984. Now, TLC owns and manages over 32 acres at Temple Flat Rock, including its namesake flat, one-acre rock outcropping.
A State Registered Natural Heritage Site, the exposed granite rock supports a unique community of bryophytes, over 44 species of lichens, and flowering plants, including sandworts and sedums. In addition to the granite outcropping, Temple Flat Rock has about 5 acres of mature oak-hickory forest and 13 acres of loblolly pine forest. TLC is working to restore the remaining areas, historically cultivated as agriculture, into a more diverse warm-season grassland by removing invasive species, conducting prescribed burns, and planting native warm season grasses and forbs.
The Center for Human-Earth Restoration (CHER), a nonprofit environmental education organization, regularly brings students to Temple Flat Rock as part of their after-school and summer camp programs. Temple Flat Rock is not open to the general public, but can be visited through guided programs and scheduled educational events.
Temple Flat Rock Preserve has been named as a WakeWonder by the WakeNature Preserves Partnership. WakeWonders are the most outstanding natural features in Wake County – features sure to inspire awe and amazement in all who visit. Additional WakeWonders include TLC’s Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve, Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preserve Park, Harris Lake County Park, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, and Robertson Millpond Preserve.
Learn more about CHER and how they use Temple Flat Rock Preserve to teach children an appreciation for the natural world around them by watching this video by UNC-TV: