CAROLINA RANCH
Our mission is to show that humanity and nature can thrive and prosper together through the establishment of productive conservation
ABOUT CAROLINA RANCH
Carolina Ranch is a 15,000-acre evolving nature tourism destination. Known as the original ‘All Star’ property to the locals, it is one of the largest, most fertile, contiguous tracts of land east of the Mississippi River, and one of the most fascinating.
Because of its physical location within the eastern NC “inner banks” and unique geophysical properties, this property is now the home of cutting-edge carbon research, nutrient dense soils and plants R&D as well as a progressive habitat management plan that includes native food plots and designated pollinator zones. There are 52 miles of established roads within the property and frontage on New Lake including 108 acres of privately-owned lake bottom.
Carolina Ranch features heavy populations of deer, bear, bobcat, turkey, duck, and geese. This distinctively adds to the overall emerging nature-based tourism development theme currently in the design and arranged phases. Stay tuned for the many exciting announcements set for the upcoming year.
We are passionate about the many great things to come and look forward to the development journey. The paved road ends at our border – where the Carolina Ranch adventure begins
HISTORY
Historically known as the “dome of the Scuppernong Pocosin”, Carolina Ranch was part of the original hunting/trading/trapping grounds for the Croatans, Native Americans, and first European settlers.
In the early 1800s, the State of North Carolina gave title of this wild “far dismal” to the State Literary Fund for development and creation of eventual land sales that would bolster the state education fund. Canals and ditches were developed at that time in order to prepare the land for both agriculture and housing. Carolina Ranch is part of the original NC Drainage District #2 and its deed still carries drainage easement rights connected to the surrounding region and all 52 state established drainage districts.
In the late 1800s, Carolina Ranch was sold to Southern Land Company of New York for the development of housing. However, the American Civil War changed the national economic trends and the need for timber became more important. The land was then sold to a regional timber company.
After being timbered, the land was sold to a West Virginia paper company for continued forestry and eventually was sold to All Star Foods Inc. in 1963 for agricultural purposes. Additional ditching was done as the land was prepared to become a national food source.
In 1990 the current owner and family emerged where its ownership has and will remain. The concept of Carolina Ranch was established in late 2017 with the actual work beginning in 2018.
ON THE RANCH
POCOSIN CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Carolina Ranch has dedicated 10,000 acres of land to carbon offsets development in order to strengthen upland conservation, manage rainwater runoff using the peat to absorb and protect adjacent landowners, and enhance the natural environment for new biodiversity industrial job creation all while protecting the land from future peat fires. The amount of dedicated acreage will deem this project as one of the largest coastal resiliency projects in the US.
TerraCarbon LLC, a leading carbon advisory firm and co-author of the ACR Methodology for Restoration of Pocosin Wetlands, together with East Carolina University are designing and directing carbon project development with additional help from Quible and Associates, P.C. and team Carolina Ranch.
To learn more click on the buttons below.
WILDLIFE
Carolina Ranch is naturally abundant with black bear, turkey, quail, deer, ducks, swan, geese, songbirds, and butterflies – just to name a few. With bay, persimmon, hardwood varieties and the great Carolina pine, we are truly a diverse and stunning landscape that includes access to one of the original “Carolina Bay” lakes.
Maintaining the balance of Carolina Ranch’s natural ecosystem is of the utmost importance. We have intensified our efforts for overall healthy land and habitat management by allowing seasonal wildlife harvesting through Lily Pond Creek Outfitters. This ensures that all wildlife babies have room to grow and thrive. To learn more about wildlife harvesting opportunities, click the button below.
Stay tuned as we expand visitation opportunities!
BIODIVERSITY MOLECULAR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Through recent soils and plant research, it has been certified that Carolina Ranch is home to unique microbes that can be used for healthy eating, clothing, medicines, water filtration, agriculture application, coastal resiliency and more.
Additionally, special fungi never before seen by man and located deep within the peat in discovered on-site locations have been obtained for more intensive research. This special find will be isolated and replicated in a lab for product development and test trials in an exciting next phase. Our goal is to provide an on-site molecular research and development center with partnering universities that will spin off a small business incubator for biodiversity jobs creation…..something we call productive conservation.
Carolina Ranch is excited to bring this to Hyde and hope to make announcements soon on the progression of this fascinating science.
SEE THE RANCH
CONTACT
1557 Gall Rd
Belhaven, Hyde County 27810
USA