History
A timeline of the relationships, landscapes, and steady work that have shaped the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.
Founded in relationship, built to last
SAHC began with a simple idea: if we listen well and act carefully, we can help keep the Southern Appalachians whole. From the earliest days, our work has depended on trust—between neighbors, landowners, volunteers, and partners. What follows is a brief chronology of milestones that reflect the long view: protecting land and honoring the people connected to it.
A local promise takes shape
A dedicated group of outdoor enthusiasts and scientists begin organizing around a shared conviction: the Southern Appalachians deserve lasting protection.
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In 1966, Stanley A. Murray and the Appalachian Trail Conference – now Appalachian Trail Conservancy – formed Roan Mountain Preservation Committee, which worked with the federal government to craft legislation creating a national system of trails. Following the passage of the National Trails System Act in 1968, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy was created as an independent nonprofit charitable organization, to protect the Appalachian Trail countryside in the Highlands of Roan and beyond.
Growing partnerships in the field
Collaboration becomes the method—working with landowners and public agencies to identify places where conservation can endure.
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Working with partners across the lanscape, SAHC secured protection of more than 6,500 acres in the Highlands of Roan, including a number of tracts transferred to the Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests. In 1990, SAHC convened the first Roan Stewardship Committee, a broad multi-state partnership to manage habitat resources.
Regional growth
SAHC expanded regional focus, to include areas outside the Highlands of Roan including the Smokies, Balsam Mountains, Black Mountains, and Newfound Mountains.
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1992 Office opened in Public Service Building downtown Asheville. 1993 SAHC accepted its first conservation easement, preserving Hemphill Bald at Cataloochee Ranch on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park 1995. Recognizing an urgent need to expand land conservation capacity in the mountains, SAHC undertook a regional initiative to establish new land trusts in western North Carolina, providing fiscal sponsorship, fundraising assistance and technical expertise. 1997. Under SAHC’s fiscal sponsorship, the Nikwasi Land Trust in Franklin and Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust in Boone were founded.
A new tool – conservation easements
SAHC accepted its first conservation easement, preserving Hemphill Bald at Cataloochee Ranch on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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As projects grew, so did the need for practical tools: clear stewardship plans, careful monitoring, and ongoing support for families who wanted to keep their land intact for future generations.
A focus on watersheds and habitat
Protecting clean water and connected habitat becomes central—streams, coves, and ridgelines treated as one living system.
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SAHC was awarded one of the new NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund’s earliest grants in 1998 to acquire a tract on the Little Tennessee River in Macon County on behalf of the Nikwasi Land Trust. In 1999, SAHC bargain-purchased a conservation easement on more than 600 acres of the upper Tuckasegee river headwaters, using an early grant from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund. In 2003, the conserved Rough Creek Watershed became the first of five municipal watershed projects SAHC has completed.
Saving disappearing farmland
SAHC initiated a Farmland Program to protect disappearing agricultural land in the mountains of NC and TN.
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Cultivating relationships with multigenerational farm families, SAHC begins permanently protecting agricultural land in the Sandy Mush, Fairview, and Spring Creek communities.
SAHC Community Farm
Conservation includes working farms—places where heritage, livelihoods, and soil health belong to the same future.
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Supporting farmland protection helps keep local food systems viable and preserves the cultural fabric of mountain communities. It’s a way of conserving not only scenery, but the daily work that shapes it. SAHC received a donation of 103 acres of farmland in 2010 in the Alexander Community of Buncombe County – less than a mile from the French Broad River. In 2012, SAHC launched an ambitious plan for the site, creating education, restoration, and farmland access programs.
Community engagement grows
More neighbors step in—volunteers, members, and partners who want to put their hands and hearts into the work.
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This era deepened stewardship commitments: regular visits, ecological management, and support for landowners navigating new challenges. Conservation is not a single moment—it’s ongoing work that honors place and people.Volunteer days, educational events, and community relationships broadened the Conservancy’s reach. These gatherings remind us conservation is strongest when it’s shared—and when more people can see themselves in the story of the land.
The work continues—together
We carry the mission forward with gratitude for those who came before, and responsibility to those who come next.
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From habitat and water to recreation and community connection, we continue preserving, protecting, and promoting the natural and cultural heritage of the Appalachian region through education and engagement. SAHC’s commitment to conserving land for outdoor recreation includes popular places across the region. 2008 Led protection of 10,000 acres in Rocky Fork area 2012 Created multi-layered SAHC Community Farm education, restoration, and farmland access programs 2013 Secured Blackrock Mountain summit in Plott Balsam Mountains, part of massive Blue Ridge Parkway expansion near Waterrock Knob 2019 Assisted State of NC in acquiring land for future Pisgah View State Park 2020 Purchased 449-acre tract in Haywood County for Chestnut Mountain Nature Park, later conveying the land to the Town of Canton 2025 SAHC acquired 191 acres adjacent to Warren Wilson College, permanently protecting the land from future development and continuing collaboration with the college in management of beloved community hiking trails on the Bull Creek Preserve
Help Save the Places You Love
Conservation is long work—rooted in community and sustained by people who care. Your support helps protect land, water, and the stories held in these mountains.