Conservation Groups Purchase Land in Western North Carolina

This spring, two land trust groups purchased a total of 190 acres of unprotected land, waterways and habitats in North Carolina.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, which protects over 71,000 acres of North Carolina and Tennessee, added areas in Buncombe and Henderson counties along the Eastern Continental Divide in April. The new properties include 155 acres of thriving forest at Strawberry Gap and 15 acres of rocky bluff at Stony Point.

“We are proud to have purchased this previously unprotected portion of the landscape around Hickory Nut Gap, which is a visible landmark to so many people from various vantage points,” said Carl Silverstein, the conservancy’s executive director, in a blog post.

The purchase was funded by the nonprofit organization Conservation Trust for North Carolina and conservation supporters Fred and Alice Stanback.

With support from the Foothills Conservancy, a land trust group based in Morganton, N.C., the Tuttle Forest Foundation purchased 20 acres of land in Caldwell County that adjoins with the 288-acre Tuttle Educational State Forest.

Tuttle Forest Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization, worked to secure this tract of land for 20 years to expand their free, public outdoor education efforts at Tuttle Educational State Forest. — By Shelby Jones