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TGOW - Tall Glass of Water
Project
Bertie County’s investment in the TGOW 137 acre
property, will be the first public beach access to
recreational waters, unlike anywhere else in
Northeastern North Carolina. Opportunities for Bertie
residents will include swimming, canoeing & kayaking,
hiking, camping, and environmental education field
experiences for students and adults.
The Bertie County Board of Education has also embraced
in-the-field teaching, and hands-on learning
opportunities for local students at TGOW and there have
been discussions regarding expanding the “Sound to the
Sea” curriculum and field laboratory activities here in
Bertie County.
Referred to locally as “Tall Glass of Water” (TGOW)” until a
name and logo have been selected, the site’s most stunning
feature is its 2,200 linear feet of sand beach and shallow
calm waters overlooked by impressive high cliffs on the
Albemarle Sound where the Chowan River begins.
The Board of Commissioners’ planning efforts also envision
the project as a base-of-operations for expanded adventure
tourism and cultural activities throughout all of Bertie
with an interpretive nature center and outdoor entertainment
venue as a draw to residents and visitors alike.
The purchase of this 137 acre site was made possible by
Bertie County Board of Commissioners and the N.C. Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund.
Bertie County’s investment, is complimented by the NC
Coastal Land Trust (NCCLT) purchase of 995 acres almost
adjacent to TGOW. The parcel was destined to become a 2,800
unit development and 212 slip marina but with the economic
downturn the property came up for sale and NCCLT was able to
secure the site with
funds awarded by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Attorney General’s
Environmental Enhancement Grant Fund, N.C. Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund
and the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2018 NCCLT conveyed
the land to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation,
which will manage the site as the new Salmon Creek State
Natural Area. The move ensures permanent protection of its
significant natural, historic, archaeological and cultural
resources.
A 300-acre tract sits between TGOW and the Salmon Creek
property and is being considered for acquisition through the
work of NCCLT. If funding is secured a total of 1,432 acres
of Sound front wilderness will be preserved.
Natural Features, Ecological Significance and Eco-tourism
Dr. Stanley Riggs, North Carolina
Land Of Water
NCLOW Report 12-21-2018
NCLOW Report 9-4-2019
NCLOW Report 10-14-2019
(Presewntation Video)
Summary: From Rivers to Sounds
Bertie County is water-bound by a
complex of different kinds of drainage systems encircling
three sides of the county and dissecting it through the
interior. The great Roanoke River forms the entire western
and southern boundary, while the estuarine waters of
Albemarle Sound and the Chowan River embayed estuary forms
the southeastern and entire eastern boundary, respectively.
The interior of Bertie County is dominated by the dendritic
valley of the Cashie River and its upstream tributary
network and downstream inputs from Roquist and Wadling Place
creeks. Several smaller and incised, black-water tributary
streams flow into Albemarle Sound and include the Salmon,
Black Walnut, and Cashoke creeks. The high, eastfacing
bluffs of the Wicomoco and Talbot Terraces contain numerous
small, steep, and deeply incised, ephemeral drainages
characterized by small delta plains and cypress headlands
where they discharge into the Chowan River and Albemarle
Sound.
Bertie County’s unique and
world-class water system represents a two-pronged future for
its citizens. The diverse and vast character of natural and
cultural resources can provide the framework for a new “From
Rivers to Sounds” program that focuses on regional
environmental education and forms the basis for a
sustainable eco-tourism economy. In order to develop this
eco-tourism economy, environmental education is essential to
grow an educated citizenry in
order to maintain a healthy
environment and to cultivate and train local personnel for
new career opportunities within the Bertie waterscape.
Eco-tourism has the potential to provide important economic
benefits with an influx of new travelers visiting the region
resulting in increased spending, new local businesses and
jobs, and development sensitive to the ecology and culture
of coastal eco-systems. Thus, an important goal is to
educate stakeholders about the advantages of sustainable
eco-tourism development and how to balance economic
revitalization with the 3-Ps (preservation, protection, and
presentation) of Bertie County’s natural resources and
cultural history. Page 69
Eco-Tourism
Development of paddle trails as well
as waterfront facilities and programs would build upon the
strategic business clusters identified by the Bertie County
Board of Commissioners, which include adventure and
eco-tourism market segments. Capitalizing on the wildlife
resources for hunting and fishing and natural resources for
eco-tourism around birding, boating, paddling, hiking, and
touring would offer local entrepreneurs the opportunity to
create small businesses to support recreation and
eco-tourism activities. The natural resources and cultural
history of Bertie County provide a great opportunity for
continued development of outdoor recreation and tourism. In
the 2018 Bertie County Comprehensive Recreation Plan, public
input showed overwhelming support for outdoor recreation and
tourism. Page 9
The Town of Windsor has been on the
cutting edge of eco-tourism planning and paddle trail
development for several decades. The tree house project
speaks volumes regarding the Town Board’s vision for
creating an attractive destination to compliment the natural
beauty of the Cashie River. Also, the Bertie County Board of
Commissioners set its strategic goals for economic
development beginning in 2014 that included 1) public
recreational access to the boundary waters of the County and
2) promotion of eco-tourism. The County’s governing body
supported these economic development priorities and invested
county funds to match a $500,000 grant from NC Parks and
Recreation Trust Fund to acquire the 137-acre tract on
Albemarle Sound known as the “Tall Glass of Water” project.
Page 70
Bertie County’s Tall Glass of
Water:
This initial 137-acre piece of
water-front property was purchased by Bertie County in 2017
to provide its citizens with a water-front for many
different types of aquatic opportunities and adjacent land
for recreational activities. The major portion of this land
is an upland portion of the flat Talbot Terrace and consists
of mixed agriculture and pine plantation. The northern
boundary is a small canyon formed by an incised ephemeral
stream that is heavily wooded with a dam across an even
smaller tributary stream. Where this incised stream
discharges into Albemarle Sound there is a series of drowned
cypress trees that originally grew in the floodplain of the
stream; now with rising sea level the drowned trees form a
natural buffer that semi-protects that shoreline segment
from severe erosion. Most of the eastern boundary is an
eroding bluff of the flat Talbot Terrace by the western edge
of Albemarle Sound. The eroding bluff is essential to
provide sand for the narrow sandy strandplain beach. Page 38
NCLOW Recommendations: from Page
43
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Instructional swimming,
boating, and water safety programs on the Albemarle Sound
waterfront for the Bertie school system and the
public
·
Water tour programs into
different components of the open waters (Roanoke,
Albemarle, and Chowan coastal system) of the “Bertie
Water Crescent”.
·
Camping areas that
range from RVs, rustic cabins, tree houses, primitive camps,
·
Natural areas to provide
trails for hiking, biking, GPS geo-caching, physical
fitness, rope
courses, climbing walls, zip lines, etc.
·
General picnic areas with
tables, benches, fire pits, and shelters, etc.
·
Small pavilions for family
gatherings, weddings, meetings, etc.
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In the News
November 2019
NCACC CountyCast - Bertie County's Tall
Glass of Water
November 2019
NC
Association of County Commissioners:
CountyCast - Bertie County's Tall Gloss
of Water

UNCTV - Peninsula With A Future
June 28, 2019
Bertie County turning rivers, creeks,
woods into economic catalyst
April 26, 2019
County Talks TGOW
January 16, 2019
Commissioners Exercise Eminent Domain
January 14, 2019
Bertie County Press Release
March 26, 2018
Governor Cooper Hosts Conservation
Groups
August 30, 2016
Soothing Water
April 7, 2016
"Sounds" Good

Revised
Project Plan 9/12/19
Project Partners
Community Voices
“Great job Bertie!”
L. Helms
“Can't wait to come and
experience Bertie Co. Beach. Great Accomplishment!!” M. Bond
“We had the best time!! We will
be there every weekend!!”
K. Copeland
“Great event! I enjoyed seeing
our county come together! Well planned and hats off to all
involved to make it happen!” P. Demofonte
RFQ
Background Information
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