A conservation easement project completed in  2005, which protects 1,840.8 acres of the Woodfin Watershed. The protected land filters water for the Woodfin Water District’s reservoir on the headwaters of Reems Creek – which provides a portion of the drinking water for town residents. This was one of SAHC’s first municipal watershed protection projects, made possible by the NC Land and Water Fund (formerly Clean Water Management Trust Fund). The conservation easement on the property is held by the State of NC and monitored each year by SAHC. In order to preserve drinking water quality, recreation access to the watershed land is not permitted. However, folks hiking on the Snowball Mountain Trail benefit from this conservation project by enjoying sweeping views of the permanently protected Woodfin Watershed from various vantage points along the trail.

Snowball Mountain Preserve:

In 2012, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased 90 acres on Snowball Mountain in Buncombe County, permanently preserving scenic views for recreational visitors and habitat for native species. Nestled in the beautiful Craggy Mountains, this tract is highly visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway and national forest land, and it adjoins the publicly accessible Snowball Mountain Trail. Snowball Mountain was one of the marquee parcels that pushed SAHC past the 50,000-acres protected milestone mark at the end of 2011. READ MORE >>

Reems Creek Bowl:

In 2022, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased 229 acres at Reems Creek Bowl, a large tract on the headwaters of Reems Creek which includes the popular Hawkbill Rock viewpoint on the Snowball Mountain Trail.  This bowl-shaped cove of forested ridges and rocky hillsides arches across the ancient Craggy Mountains, rising to 4,800 ft. in elevation and adjoining Pisgah National Forest and other SAHC-protected lands, including our Snowball Mountain Preserve. It was for sale on the real estate market and could have been purchased for development. Fortunately, the land is now an SAHC-owned nature preserve. Wildlife will continue to roam the mountainside while people enjoy the beautiful forested views for many years to come.  READ MORE >>

South McDaris Ridge:

In 2023, landowners worked with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to donate a conservation easement on 172 acres on South McDaris Ridge, permanently protecting habitat for a variety of species and a dramatic rock face just across from the Woodfin Watershed conservation easement. The protected land encompasses forested hillsides and the saddle of the ridge between Alexander Knob and Little Snowball Mountain. A tributary of Reems Creek originates on the land: Cook Creek and its tributaries flow down from the property to join Reems Creek, which ultimately feeds the French Broad River approximately nine miles downstream. The land remains privately owned and is not open to the public.  READ MORE >>