They didn't want to see the woodlands surrounding New Hope Creek turned into a subdivision. So residents and government leaders in Chapel Hill, Orange County and the city and county of Durham banded together -- in unprecedented collaboration -- to buy the land. That way, they could protect it.

Negotiations began. Dollars were collected. And on Tuesday, the last bits of the $1.5 million purchase price were accounted for, largely because of a $1 million grant from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund

"The money was wired," said Ellen Reckhow, chairwoman of the Durham County Board of Commissioners. "It's our land."

The land is now publicly owned because of the grant and contributions from all four governments, the Triangle Land Conservancy and the Erwin Area Neighborhood Group.

Residents and leaders from participating councils and commissions gathered at Durham's old courthouse Tuesday to nibble on cheese and crackers and hand out accolades. The event marked the end of some worry, toil and heaps of paperwork.

"It's symbolic," Reckhow said before the event. "We've achieved an important milestone."

The 44-acre tract is a part of a larger effort to conserve land along New Hope Creek, a waterway that feeds Jordan Lake.

"It stands on its own merits as a project worthy of celebrating," said Jane Korest, Durham's open space and real estate manager, "but it connects to other open spaces along the New Hope Creek corridor."

Since 1994, Durham County has acquired about 265 acres of land along New Hope Creek, Korest said. Other efforts to acquire patches of land have been made in the city of Durham, Orange County and the town of Chapel Hill.

A committee of leaders and residents from Durham and Orange counties is planning the best uses for 75 to 100 acres of contiguous open space, known as the New Hope Preserve, said Kevin Brice, president of the Triangle Land Conservancy.