Linville River
Conserving Lands and Waters of the Blue Ridge Foothills
Foothills Conservancy has been able to give a wonderful gift to the Blue Ridge Foothills:
permanent protection of more than 43,000 acres of important watershed and forest lands.
South Mountains - click for background info
Raised almost $14 million & protected the 17,829-acre Rollins Tract in 1998 as state wildlife lands. Facilitated the addition of the 2,556-acre Broughton/Clear Creek Watershed in 2000 & the 454-acre School for the Deaf Watershed in 2005 to South Mountains State Park, providing a new western entrance to the park & a location for a planned
environmental education center.
Protected Lone Mountain, a 1,245-acre tract containing the headwaters of the First Broad River, as state wildlife lands in 2005. In February 2007, secured private bridge financing to purchase 218 ridge-top acres on Hall Mountain near Clear Creek Watershed. Added 607 acres along the west side of the Linville River between Lake James & Linville Gorge to Pisgah National Forest in 2002, & in 2003 added 2,896 acres to Pisgah in Lake James' Bear Creek watershed - a total of 3,500+ acres acquired with
$6.5 million in Federal funds.
Secured $35 million in public & private funds in 2004 to acquire 1,425 acres along more than a mile of the Linville River below the Gorge for state game lands & almost 3,000 acres and 30 miles of shoreline for a major Lake James State Park addition.
Matched public funds with $800,000 in private funds in 2005 to add another 850 acres to state game lands in the Black Bear watershed above Lake James.
Transferred ownership of 43 acres to the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2007 in a joint effort by Foothills Conservancy and Conservation Trust; land that fronts almost a mile of the Linville River across from the Parkway's Linville Falls campground.
Led partnership efforts which secured legislation in 2005 authorizing a new state park at Hickory Nut Gorge and began working with N. C. State Parks to secure priority tracts for the park.
As a member of the Hickory Nut Gorge Partnership, worked with State Parks, The Nature Conservancy & the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy to secure $16 million to acquire the 1,600-acre World's Edge tract in 2005 as the new park's
first property.
Led efforts with area legislators to secure $25 million in funding last year & helped facilitate the State's acquisition earlier this year of the 996-acre Chimney Rock Park for the new park - since renamed Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park.
Placed Foothills Conservancy's first conservation easement in 2000 on 114 acres of a Broad River family farm & in 2005 received donated fee interest in the property & acquired additional acres along a mile of the river to establish the
conservancy's 234-acre River Bend Boundary Preserve.
Via a generous bargain sale in 2005, acquired 753 acres sheltering Catawba River headwaters above Old Fort & an adjacent 130 acres to establish the June Carol Adams Preserve. In 2005-06, placed conservation easements on 477
adjoining acres.
In February this year, protected 2,800 acres at the confluence of the Johns and Catawba Rivers as state game land in an $11.5 million Duke-Energy hydro-relicensing related deal supported by the N. C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
Secured a federal Scenic Byways grant to support conservation outreach beginning later this year with landowners on three scenic byways, includingthe byway along the Yadkin River through Happy Valley.
Supported by CWMTF, completed Riparian Protection Plans for Wild & Scenic Wilson Creek & for the Jacob Fork River & beginning to work with willing landowners to implement protection options, including conservation easements.
Secured a contract with The Lutz Family Partnership to purchase 649 acres along almost four miles of National Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek in Caldwell County for $7 million.
Secured CWMTF support for Riparian Protection planning and landowner outreach for the Catawba River's headwaters near Old Fort.
