Item:
Title
Approve Budget Ordinance Amendment No.27BCC019 Recognizing a $15,000 Grant from the Burt’s Bees Foundation to Support Conservation Corps North Carolina’s Ecological Restoration Work on Durham County Open Space Preserves
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: September 14, 2026
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve Budget Ordinance Amendment No.27BCC019 to recognize $15,000 in grant revenue from the Burt’s Bees Foundation to support Conservation Corps North Carolina’s (CCNC’s) ecological restoration work on Durham County Open Space Preserves.
Recent ecological research supported by the Durham County Open Space Program has identified specific actions to improve wildlife habitat and biodiversity on County preserves. A key recommendation is careful vegetation management - specifically removing invasive species - to protect native plants that sustain Durham County’s most significant and sensitive ecosystems.
For seven weeks this Fall, Durham County’s Open Space Program will partner with Conservation Corps North Carolina (CCNC), a nonprofit that provides workforce development for young adults interested in conservation careers. CCNC crews will remove invasive species and help restore native plant communities on County Open Space land in the New Hope Corridor, the Little River Corridor, and eastern Durham County near Falls Lake.
This is the sixth grant award Durham County has received from the Burt’s Bees Foundation in support of the Open Space Program. This $15,000 grant covers 16% of the CCNC project cost. Durham County is contributing $55,000 (60%) through budgeted contracted services funds, and CCNC is providing $29,999 (24%) as in-kind personnel support, for a total project cost of $91,999.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This Burt’s Bees Foundation grant award and the partnership with CCNC aligns with Durham County Strategic Plan Goal 1: Community Empowerment and Enrichment’s Workforce Development Objective as well as Strategic Plan Goal 4: Environment’s Natural Resource Stewardship and Protection Objective.
Resource Persons: Celeste Burns, Open Space and Real Estate Division Manager; David Bradley, Open Space Specialist; Jessie Birckhead, Executive Director of Conservation Corps North Carolina; Peri Manns, Deputy Director, Engineering and Environmental Services.
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approve Budget Ordinance Amendment No.27BCC019 to recognize $15,000 in grant revenue from the Burt’s Bees Foundation to support Conservation Corps North Carolina’s (CCNC’s) ecological restoration work on Durham County Open Space Preserves.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________