Cemetery Rules


​VISITING BLUESTEM is welcome and encouraged. Bluestem is an 87-acre nature preserve open to the public from dawn to dusk daily. Please help care for the land by abiding by the following:
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  • Foot and wheelchair traffic only is permitted beyond the main entrance. No motorized vehicles, bicycles, or horses are permitted inside the preserve, unless granted express permission by Bluestem staff.
  • No one should be on the preserve after daylight hours, unless granted express permission by Bluestem staff.
  • Burials, Plot Reservations, Tours, and Golf Cart-Assisted Visits occur by appointment only. 
  • Dogs must remain on leash and be cleaned up after. Please remove waste.
  • Activities prohibited at Bluestem include: camping, bonfires, hunting, fishing, swimming, wading, balloon or butterfly release, littering, off-trail hiking, cutting of trees/grass/plants, moving of existing rocks or boulders, landscaping, digging, manicuring gravesites, leaving/installing any outside material, trespassing on neighboring properties, feeding wildlife.
  • Bluestem holds the sole right to perform conservation activities and care of the property, including invasive control, planting, prescribed burns, mowing and more. Please contact (919) 300-4925 to report concerns or hazards.


NATURAL BURIAL AT BLUESTEM is arranged for with staff. It occurs with respect for green burial practices and conservation principles. Burial rules and policies include:
  • No embalming, metals, steel, plastics, synthetics, or vaults are used in burial. 
  • All burial containers must be made of biodegradable, unfinished materials in compliance with Bluestem Burial Containers Standards and Specifications. Contact staff to confirm suitability of purchased or handmade caskets or shrouds.
  • Common prostheses are generally acceptable for natural burial at Bluestem. Please contact staff if you have questions about prostheses.
  • Bluestem prepares all gravesites and directs all burial activities. Bluestem determines burial capacity within each plot according to natural features.
  • Ash scattering is not permitted at Bluestem. 
  • For ash burial at Bluestem, ashes are removed from their urn or container, mixed with a soil amendment, then buried directly in the earth. Ashes from either fire cremation or water cremation are acceptable. The soil amendment is an organic compound that reduces the ash’s salinity and balances the soil’s pH. This amendment process can be performed by the family or Bluestem staff, privately or as part of a graveside service. 
  • Each human being has their own, individual grave at Bluestem. Co-mingling of human ashes, co-mingling of human ashes with pet ashes, or adding of any ashes to a natural grave, is not permitted. Co-mingling of two or three pets’ ashes in one grave may be permitted depending on pet size; please contact staff to confirm.
  • Pet burial is permitted only within a human’s reserved, standard burial plot. Pet burial requires an additional fee.


MEMORIALIZING AT BLUESTEM occurs in accordance with Bluestem values of simplicity and sustainability as graves return to the natural landscape. The following guidelines help ensure Bluestem’s conservation mission:
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  • Visitors can pick wildflowers, grasses, and small natural materials from onsite and place them at gravesites. 
  • Cut flowers from offsite are permitted in modest quantities, devoid of styling materials. Plants containing seeds, such as holly or nandina, are not permitted.
  • Any adornments left at gravesites or elsewhere on the property may be removed at Bluestem’s discretion.
  • No planting, framing, or manicuring at gravesites is permitted.
  • Every grave and reserved plot is marked with a metal pin. Pins are made, provided, and placed by Bluestem.
  • Reserved plots are recorded by GPS coordinates. 
  • Gravestones marking graves are optional and are provided by Bluestem. All gravestones are natural, flat, modestly-sized North Carolina flagstone. Those who desire a gravestone select one from Bluestem’s inventory and independently arrange for engraving of the stone offsite. Engraving may not include profanities. No outside stone material is permitted. No material may be added to the stone. Stones are not permitted for pet graves.
  • Seasonal plantings are scheduled by Bluestem staff and occur around the property in accordance with Bluestem’s land management plans. In honor of their loved one, families can make selections from a list of native plantings to donate to Bluestem's Restoration Program. They can also participate in scheduled Family Planting Days or regular volunteer days.

Bluestem Cemetery Standards and Guidelines are reviewed regularly and updated online. 

Natural Gravesites at Bluestem