Foothills Conservancy Kicks off Spring Membership Drive Morganton, NC - Help protect the places you love in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills by becoming a supporter of Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
during their spring membership drive. Those who join Foothills Conservancy during April will automatically be entered in a drawing to receive two free tickets to the
2nd Annual Foothills Wine Festival on May 14 at The Historic Inn at Glen Alpine!
“If you want to help protect places you love likeWilson Creek, the Linville Gorge, Lake James, the South Mountains, Catawba Falls, Chimney Rock and the Hickory
Nut Gorge, as well as our region's fertile farmlands and mountain streams and rivers, please become a supporter of your local land trust, Foothills Conservancy,” says
Lynn Allen, the conservancy's development director.
Membership in the conservancy comes with no obligations but plenty of benefits including invitations to hikes and outings to beautiful places and special events
throughout the year, regular newsletters, and, for those interested, volunteer opportunities.
“The biggest benefit of membership by far is the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to leave a legacy of protected lands and waters across our beautiful
region,” says Susie Hamrick Jones, executive director. “Our members are the backbone of our organization. They care deeply about preserving our region's beauty,
open spaces and natural resources. Their annual tax-deductible contributions - beginning as low as $35 for a “Friend” membership -- provide essential support that
helps Foothills Conservancy achieve permanent conservation of these resources for generations to come.”
Over the last 15 years, Foothills Conservancy has helped protect more than 45,000 acres across the Blue Ridge Foothills, including new public state park and wildlife
lands that benefit the region's economy at places likeLakeJames, the South Mountains, National Wild & Scenic Wilson Creek, and Chimney Rock.
“We are expanding our work with landowners who want to protect their farms, working forests, and streams; with communities seeking new ways to attract tourists
by developing trails and cultural sites; and with county leaders and developers interested in ways to blend conservation with development,” Jones says.
Join hundreds of other Foothills Conservancy supporters in leaving a legacy of land and water conservation by making a gift or pledge on-line at www.foothillsconservancy.org;
by phone at 828-437-9930; or by mail with your name and address to FCNC, P. O. Box 3023, Morganton,NC 28680.
Annual membership levels include: Friend $35+, Conservator $50+, Protector $100+, Preserver $250+, Steward $500+, and Horizon Society levels of Benefactor $1,000+,
Patron $2,500+, Legacy $5,000+, and Heritage $10,000. Corporate memberships range from $250 to $10,000+ and offer a variety of sponsorship benefits.
FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS & OFFICERSMarch 10, 2011
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a land trust serving the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains and foothills, begins 2011 with three new board members: Shara
Owensby from Morganton, Charles Burgin from Marion, and Carl Spangler from Shelby. Each will serve a three-year term on the conservancy's 12-member board.
Newly elected officers for 2011 are Michael R. “Squeak” Smith from Morganton, serving his third year as Chairman; Vice-Chairman Mike Tanner from Rutherfordton;
Janet H. Wilson, Secretary, from Lenoir; and Treasurer Robin Brackett from Shelby.
“I am pleased to welcome our new board members and confident in their commitment to the land and water conservation mission, vision and continued success of
Foothills Conservancy,” said Chairman Squeak Smith. “Shara, Charles and Carl each bring their unique talents and experience to the 2011 board.”
Shara Owensby, a devoted outdoorswoman, is a pharmacist who owns Table Rock Pharmacy in Morganton with her husband, Richard.
Charles Burgin, a retired attorney who has volunteered on several other non-profit boards, was born and raised in McDowell County and was drawn to Foothills
Conservancy because of his love of the outdoors.
Carl Spangler is a retired industry executive and farmer who currently serves on the governing board of the Carolina Thread Trail (CTT) and as chair of the Cleveland County
CTT steering committee.
Other board members continuing their service during 2011 include: Charles Brady, III, a Lenoir attorney; Mary Jaeger-Gale, general manager of Chimney Rock Park, LLC;
Kelly Hawkins, a former non-profit development director from Morganton; Jerry Stensland, Rutherford County's Conservation and Recreation Planner; and Karla Haynes,
executive director of the Cleveland County Community Development Corporation.
A nationally accredited land trust based in Morganton, Foothills Conservancy is dedicated to working cooperatively with landowners and public and private conservation
partners to preserve and protect important natural areas and open spaces of the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains and their foothills, including watersheds,
environmentally significant habitats, forests and farmland, for this and future generations. As a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, the conservancy depends on tax-deductible private
contributions to support its work in eight counties: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell and Rutherford.
Founded in 1995, the conservancy has permanently protected more than 45,000 acres at places like South Mountains, Lake James and Chimney Rock state parks;
South Mountains, Linville Gorge and Wilson Creek state gamelands; Catawba Falls in Pisgah National Forest; and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It also helps private
landowners protect family farms and forests with permanent conservation agreements.
To learn more about Foothills Conservancy's land and water conservation programs and become a supporter, visit the conservancy's website at www.foothillsconservancy.org
or call 828-437-9930.
554,000 VISIT BURKE'S STATE PARKSBY CHERYL M. SHUFFLER
cshuffler@morganton.com
MORGANTON - Hiking trails, waterfalls, campsites, swimming holes and a pristine lake attracted a little more than half a million people to Burke County's
two state parks last year.
Lake James State Park recorded 335,537 visitors and South Mountains State Park recorded 218,848, according to a press release from the N.C. Department
of Environment and Natural Resources.
Ed Phillips, executive director of the Burke County Tourism Development Authority, said, “Burke's two state parks play a vital role in our outdoor attractions. Lake
James State Park offers the only public swimming area on Lake James and the new Paddy's Creek section will be a showpiece for our county. “South Mountains
State Park is home to one of Burke's most scenic and accessible waterfalls -- High Shoals Falls.
“Our Burke Visitor Center receives calls almost daily requesting information on both state parks in Burke County.”
While South Mountains State Park saw a 16 percent increase in the number of visitors compared to 2009, Lake James saw a 13 percent decrease in the number of
visitors. However, the state last year opened an expanded beach and other facilities at Lake James, enlarging the lake's potential to attract and serve more visitors.
Phillips said, "I expect visitation at Lake James State Park will dramatically increase in 2011.”
Sean R. McElhone, Lake James park superintendent, also expects visitations to increase.
He said, “Lake James State Park represents the only public access to the lake itself for most recreational activities. By far, the most popular activity at the park is
swimming. The swimming area is open from May 1 to Sept. 30; so the majority of park visitors come to the state park during this time frame.”
Lake James State Park opened the new Paddy's Creek Area of the park in September.
“This new area is much larger and can accommodate many more visitors,” McElhone said. “The new Paddy's Creek Area offers a 700-foot swimming area with a sandy
beach, two large picnic shelters available for reservation, family picnic areas, 6 miles of new hiking trails and an overlook of the Linville Gorge.
Picnicking also is a very popular activity that again occurs mostly during the summer months. Hiking and wildlife observation are activities that are becoming increasingly
more popular.”
Lance Huss, a state park ranger at South Mountains State Park, said park visitors enjoy a variety of activities when at South Mountains, including 45 miles of hiking trails,
horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, picnicking and camping.
He said, “Most visitors when asked will state that they want to hike to the waterfall or they just wanted to get out and enjoy the beautiful day.”
Huss said the most popular hiking trail is the High Shoals Falls Loop Trail, which follows the Jacob Fork River to a 80-foot waterfall, the 2-mile long Chestnut Knob Trail,
which leads to the Jacob Fork River Gorge and Chestnut Knob overlooks and the “easy hike” Hemlock Nature Trail, a short, wheelchair-accessible trail that travels along
the Jacob Fork River.
Both state parks offer educational and interpretive programs each month, too.
A 2008 economic study revealed that travelers spend an average $23.56 a day to enjoy North Carolinas 39 state parks. The analysis by North Carolina State University's
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management estimated the state parks system's total annual economic impact at more than $400 million.
At $23.56 a day, Burke County's take is estimated to be $13 million in 2010, which may be low, Phillips said.
“Thirteen million dollars is quite an impact and probably a very conservative estimate,” Phillips said.
North Carolina's state parks and state recreation areas reported near-record visitation in 2010, with 14 million visits, slightly below the all-time record of 14.2 million visits
in 2009, according to the N.C Division of Parks and Recreation.
“North Carolina's state parks offer affordable, family-oriented recreation, and the state's citizens and visitors have come to rely on that resource as difficult economic times
continue,” Lewis Ledford, director of the state Division of Parks and Recreation, said in a press release. “The state parks also continue to contribute to the economic health
of local communities, particularly in rural areas and regions dependent on tourism.”
During the past 25 years, the state parks system has seen a 112 percent increase in visitation. In 1985, 6.6 million people visited state parks and state recreation areas.
Used by permission from The Morganton News Herald
Z. SMITH REYNOLDS FOUNDATION GRANT SUPPORTS PIEDMONT FARMLAND PROGRAMMedia Release, March 2, 2011
Morganton, NC - Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina has received a grant of $40,000 from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in support of their collaborative Piedmont
Farmland Protection Program for rural counties surrounding the Charlotte Metro Area.
Foothills Conservancy, based in Morganton, is collaborating with Salisbury's Land Trust for Central North Carolina and Charlotte's Catawba Lands Conservancy to advance
farmland protection and agricultural development within the counties surrounding the fast-growing Charlotte region.
Established in 1936, The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is a memorial to the youngest son of the founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. In its history, the Foundation
has made grants totaling more than $470 million to recipients in all of North Carolina's 100 counties. Currently, the Foundation gives special attention to certain focus areas: community economic development; the environment; democracy and civic engagement; pre-collegiate education; and social justice and equity.
Supported by the grant, the three land trust partners will coordinate their farmland protection efforts across a 10-county area: Alexander, Catawba and Cleveland counties - Foothills Conservancy; Cabarrus, Davie, Rowan, and Iredell - Land Trust for Central NC; and Iredell, Union, Lincoln, and Gaston -- Catawba Lands Conservancy.
They will work in partnership with landowners, county governments, the NC Department of Agriculture, and the agricultural community to strengthen the connection between the region's farms and the Charlotte market.
A regional land trust, Foothills Conservancy is dedicated to working cooperatively with landowners and public and private conservation partners to preserve and protect
important natural areas and open spaces of the Blue Ridge Foothills region, including watersheds, environmentally significant habitats, forests and farmland, for this and
future generations. The Conservancy, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, serves eight counties: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell and Rutherford.
