Connecting people with land for outdoor recreation, health, fitness, wellbeing, farming, livelihood and learning, striving to create equitable access to land for all people.
SAHC’s goals in connecting people with nature and protected lands include:
Connecting people with land for outdoor recreation, health, fitness, well-being and learning.
Connecting people with land and skills for farming.
Making Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) a foundational principle that permeates all aspects of our programming and operations, and striving to create equitable access to land for all people.
Connecting People with Land and Nature: We have a broad range of programs!
The best way to learn about conservation is to experience it for yourself. That could mean joining us for a guided hike to protected places, pitching in for a volunteer work day, finding yourself in an outdoor classroom, hosting your own special event at the SAHC Community Farm, exploring public parks and trails that SAHC has helped protect, learning how to grow food, and much more!
We invite you to explore the many ways to Connect with special places that Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Protects and Stewards.
Throughout the year we offer guided hikes and outings to connect people with spectacular properties SAHC has protected. Some hikes focus around an educational topic – like tree identification – while others highlight the experience of a particular place. We strive to offer a variety of outings for different abilities and skill levels. Check out a list of upcoming hikes and events!
Volunteers are the heart of our organization! You can be directly involved with SAHC by helping with habitat management on Roan’s spectacular grassy balds, improving trails, removing invasive plant species to restore ecological balance, hosting a table at special events, and more. We welcome groups to contact us about potential service projects.
SAHC partners with diverse programs that provide after school and summer camp experiences for youth. Some of these groups include community centers, YMCA Horizons, Youth Transformed for Life, and Girls Scouts. We provide on-site environmental education and coordinate field outings to special places.
SAHC’s Community Farm provides an exciting model pairing farm production with environmental stewardship. Hike the Discovery Trail to learn about and experience varied projects. The site is an asset to the community, with an education center, new Farm Market Stand, business incubator program for beginning farmers, value-added production kitchen, and more!
The SAHC Community Farm is an exceptional setting for hosting weddings and events, surrounding by long-range mountain views and beautiful, rolling open space. Plus, hosting your event here helps support ongoing conservation work and programs at the farm. Your special day supports a great cause!
Thanks to generous supporters who want to help connect people with nature, SAHC has updated existing structures and added camping platforms on a few of our preserves. These select preserves are open for folks to reserve and immerse themselves in the beauty of conserved land. We invite you to stay with us!
Interested in launching or expanding your own farm businesses? This program provides access to land and resources for entrepreneurial farmers. Land and infrastructure is expensive. Learning to grow crops, market products, and expand sales networks can take time. SAHC’s Farm Incubator Program helps farmers “incubate” new businesses.
Informational workshops provide education about a wide variety of farm-related topics, from rotational grazing and managing invasive species on agricultural properties to small engine maintenance and tips for extending growing seasons.
Want to support local farmers? Purchase CSA shares and products from participants in our Farm Incubator Program! Enjoy fresh eggs from pasture-raised chickens at the SAHC Community Farm, and check back for more products from local farmers.
SAHC has protected land in Pisgah, Cherokee, and Nantahala National Forests. We also help create and expand public parks – like Roan Mountain State Park, the Future Pisgah View State Park, Mt. Mitchell State Park, Rocky Fork State Park, Chestnut Mountain Nature Park, and Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Check out a map of public lands and favorite local spots SAHC has helped protect.
Challenge yourself! Climb to the summit of six of the 40+ peaks in the Southern Appalachians that reach above 6,000 ft. elevation. Earn a patch (and bragging rights) for completing the Southern Sixer Challenge. Southern Sixer summits occur in almost all of our six geographic conservation focus areas.
Become a member, provide a membership as a gift for a friend or family member, or make a contribution to honor a special loved one. From IRA gifts of stock to used car donations, there are lots of Ways to Give to support conservation in the mountains of NC and TN.
If you can’t get out for a visit to the mountains, experience conservation at home through Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s Video Library on YouTube and flip through the latest editions of the View from the Highlands. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Linked-In for updates!
Stories about Connecting People with Land
