Foothills Conservancy making considerable progress toward permanently protecting the Johns River headwaters and iconic view in Blowing Rock; hosting public information reception to discuss future

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina announced significant progress toward the purchase and permanent protection of a 332-acre parcel of land in Blowing Rock, NC, that contains the headwaters of the Johns River and is part of an iconic view seen from The Blowing Rock attraction, U.S. 321 and other locations within the town limits of Blowing Rock.

The property is positioned on the Blue Ridge escarpment, partially located in both the Blowing Rock and Globe communities of Caldwell County, and is part of the viewshed corridor of the immediate sweeping and magnificent mountainous panorama. The Johns River, a major tributary of the Catawba River, begins on the property, and the land harbors a number of significant natural communities and threatened plant and animal species documented by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.

Leveraging its experience and national reputation for successfully protecting high-value conservation projects, Foothills Conservancy has raised over $3,200,000 for the permanent protection of this land. The Conservancy has received substantial grant funding for this project from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, the N.C. Department of Justice’s Ecosystem Enhancement Grant program, and a recently awarded $200,000 grant from the Glass Foundation. Thanks to this grant funding, and combined with considerable support from several private donors, Foothills Conservancy is now only $750,000 shy of reaching its overall fundraising goal of $4 million.

Upon the completion of the acquisition and permanent protection of the property with a conservation easement that will be held by the State of North Carolina, Foothills Conservancy will begin the process of designing a public use trail along the upper elevation section of the property.

Foothills Conservancy is hosting a public information reception at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum on Thursday, March 9, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. for interested community members to learn more about this conservation project. Remarks will begin at 5:00 pm. All are welcome to attend and the Conservancy requests RSVPs by Wednesday, March 1, to Meg Gaito – mgaito@foothillsconservancy.org or via a form at foothillsconservancy.org/blowingrock. A virtual option will be available for the remarks portion of the event; please RSVP for the link.