These mountains are simply extraordinary – and they are in jeopardy.
Let’s face it – this year has been exceptional… but not in the good kind of way.
Our mountains, however, are blessed because you are the good kind of exceptional – like the exceptional places that you help protect across the Southern Appalachian mountains.
Thanks to your support, we have excelled in conservation this year, completing 28 land and conservation easement acquisitions in twelve months, which have secured thousands of acres of resources that people, plants, and animals depend on. This includes hundreds of priority acres that will be added to Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests. You helped safeguard headwater streams, important breeding habitat for migratory songbirds, and fertile soils deposited by bold rivers in the shadows of ancient mountains.
Our region faces major real estate development pressure because it is one of the country’s fastest growing areas. We have opportunities now to protect some of the best remaining wild places and highly productive farms in our mountains. Your gift will help us make this a reality.
From the water we drink to the food we eat, the birds we watch, and the trails we walk – conserving these remarkable resources connects us to the land and to one another.
We are pursuing many beautiful and critical natural areas and farms to protect in 2021, but we can only do this with your help. Please renew your support of land and water conservation.
The places you can help protect today will benefit generations to come. And that is a gift worth giving.
Conservation Highlights of 2020 — Over 2,200 more acres protected:
• Highlands of Roan – Protected 411 more acres, including exceptional habitat and a priority tract surrounded by Cherokee National Forest near the Appalachian Trail.
• Clean water resources – Protected pristine trout streams and miles of stream corridor, including a headwater tributary of the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River.
• Places for Outdoor Recreation – Conserved hundreds of acres that will be available for people to enjoy, including a conservation-based recreation park at Chestnut Mountain, access to Panthertown Valley, and views from popular overlooks.
• Critical Wildlife Corridors and Diverse Habitat – Conserved connectivity and a wide variety of habitat types, which supports resiliency in response to climate change.
• Productive Farmland – From fertile bottomland near the South Toe River to the Sandy Mush historic farming community and French Broad River Valley, our farmland conservation program continued to protect prime soils and important agricultural land that produces healthy local food for the region.
• Youth Education and Community — Despite challenges to in-person instruction from the pandemic, we continued to expand initiatives for education, agriculture, and community partnership, exploring new ways to Connect People with Land.
Let’s accomplish something meaningful together. Let’s build a future where people and nature thrive.
Your gift today is an investment in our future. Thousands of acres remain in peril — and with your help more of the places we love and need will be protected, forever. Please make your gift today!
