Foothills Conservancy permanently protects 130 acres in McDowell County near the Blue Ridge Parkway, transfers to Pisgah National Forest

Earlier this month, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina announced the transfer of 130 acres in McDowell County to the U.S. Forest Service’s Pisgah National Forest. This property, named Sunnyvale Slopes after the Sunnyvale logging community that was once present in the area, is located north of Marion along NC 80.

The heavily forested property adjoins a large block of Pisgah National Forest extending northwest to the Blue Ridge Parkway and northeast to Woods Mountain.

The Conservancy’s initial acquisition of the property in 2021 officially protected a quarter-mile section of Buck Creek and several tributaries, including Straight Branch, which are mountain streams designated as High Quality, Public Water Supply, and Trout Waters by the N.C. Division of Water Resources based on their exceptional biological, physical and chemical characteristics. Buck Creek is also a source of drinking water for the City of Marion.

This undeveloped land hosts abundant plant and wildlife species – including over 50 bird species considered high priorities for conservation by the Appalachian Mountain Joint Venture program, four diverse natural forest communities that are considered state or globally at-risk, and more than 250 plant species.

“Foothills Conservancy values our long-established partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the land and water conservation projects we work together on to improve public benefits offered by the Pisgah National Forest – expanding public access and protecting high quality natural resources and public water supplies in the forested mountains of our Western NC region,” said the Conservancy’s Executive Director, Andrew Kota. “The Sunnyvale Slopes property transfer not only secures important sources of drinking and recreation waters in the Catawba River Basin, it also preserves beautiful scenic views as countless visitors and citizens drive or bike scenic NC 80 on their way to or from the Blue Ridge Parkway.”

Funding for the initial acquisition came from Foothills Conservancy’s Land Acquisition Fund, a revolving source of funds that the land trust uses to cover land purchases and transaction costs, and which it seeks to replenish and grow over time so it can respond quickly and proactively to new conservation opportunities. The U.S. Forest Service utilized the Land and Water Conservation Fund program to take ownership and add the land to the Pisgah National Forest, helping the Conservancy recover its funds for use on future projects.

This property transfer is the latest in a series of permanent land and water protection efforts by Foothills Conservancy in McDowell County. In April of 2022, the Conservancy permanently protected 960 acres in the South Mountains, and in June of 2022, the Conservancy celebrated the final of three acquisitions to establish the 6,000 acre Bobs Creek State Natural Area in partnership with N.C. Department of Parks and Recreation.