Efforts at preservation began in 2009, and were accomplished in multiple transactions.
Steve Orr
The new Headwaters State Forest in North Carolina’s Transylvania County is home to some 25 waterfalls.
North Carolina has opened the new Headwaters State Forest to the public—6,730 acres in Transylvania County near Jocasse Gorges and the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, harboring 25 waterfalls and headwaters of the French Broad River. The tract also contains the last nine miles of the Foothills Trail not in public ownership. The effort to preserve the land began in 2009 and ultimately involved local and national conservation groups, state and federal grants and a contribution from N.C. philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback. The land was purchased over the years through a dozen transactions from former Congressman Charles Taylor, who sold it under market value to enable its preservation. The state plans to keep the tract as a working forest to help educate landowners about managing forests for wildlife and water quality. The forest will be open to hunting, hiking and dispersed, backcountry recreation.
ncforestservice.gov/headwaters
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