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Virginia and North Carolina join initiative to cut carbon emissions.
Conservation groups in western North Carolina worked through three land transactions recently to expand protected and public recreation lands totaling 700 acres. In Jackson County, the Open Space Institute partnered with Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust to protect the 5,200-foot peak called “High Knob,” once slated for development. Visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway, the biologically rich, 154-acre tract harbors rare plants and wildlife, and high elevation seeps.
In Ashe County, the New River Conservancy and the state will soon add 350 acres to the New River State Park. The property, with three miles of river frontage, including a sharp bend that forms a beach, belonged to the Methodist Church and was used as a camp until 2015.
And lastly, the Blue Ridge Conservancy transferred 211 acres to the Grandfather Mountain State Park so that it can be enjoyed by all citizens. The tract includes numerous rare plants and natural communities that contribute to the mountain being recognized globally as a natural treasure.
blueridgeconservancy.org/recent-news
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The story above appears in our Jan./Feb. 2019 issue.
