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Support the Conservancy's work in Western North Carolina and across the state.
The Southern Appalachian Mountains blanket the western third of North Carolina, part of a chain of ancient peaks and valleys stretching more than 1,500 miles from Canada to central Alabama. The Nature Conservancy has worked to protect the tremendous natural diversity of the Southern Appalachians in North Carolina for more than 30 years, and some of the Conservancy’s most important current projects can be found here.
Towering mountain peaks, rock outcrops and waterfalls dot the Southern Appalachians, creating specialized habitats and unique natural communities. This is a region of extremes, featuring the oldest river in North America and the highest peak east of the Rockies.
From bog turtles to black bears, peregrine falcons to ruffed grouse, the Southern Appalachians are home to a vast array of species. Steep mountainsides nurture a profusion of wildflowers, fissure caves provide habitat for endangered bats and rare salamanders and dense forests host vast numbers of migrating songbirds.
The Conservancy has helped preserve some of the most iconic natural landmarks in the Southern Appalachians, places like Grandfather Mountain, the Joccassee Gorges and the Roan Highlands. Conservancy preserves at Bluff Mountain and Bat Cave are among our oldest projects in the state, and new efforts are underway to establish state parks and protected natural areas across the region. The Conservancy counts as its partners in the Southern Appalachians conservation-minded local landowners, a range of state agencies and a strong, active land trust community.
Click on the map above or the links below to visit The Nature Conservancy’s priority landscapes and projects in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
