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Two North Carolina Land Tracts Preserved

This protected tract will expand North Carolina’s Fonta Flora Trail.

Another 110 acres of North Carolina mountains will be preserved for ecological health and public enjoyment thanks to the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina. The group partnered with the Tuttle Forest Foundation to acquire 20 acres in Caldwell County adjoining the Tuttle Educational State Forest, which features self-guided trails, and forest and aquatic exhibits. In a separate deal, the conservancy bought 90 acres in McDowell County and conveyed the land to the state to expand the Fonta Flora State Trail. The group also worked with Camp Grier and Dan and Denisa Allison to secure public access to the land. There are almost 16 miles of the trail to date, with a vision to create a 90-mile hiking and biking corridor connecting Morganton and Asheville. “The citizens of North Carolina enabled us to purchase land that is vital to advancing our state trails when they approved the Connect NC bond (in 2016),” said Smith Raynor with N.C. State Trails. foothillsconservancy.org

The story above appears in our Sept./Oct. 2018 issue.

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