Long Life Ahead for Long Hope Creek
1,150 acres in New River Headwaters protected
Jefferson and Boone, NC, October 21, 2005—Today a group of conservation partners announced the protection of 1,150 acres along Long Hope Creek, including more than 1.7 miles of creek frontage. The acquisition also protects the summit of The Peak—the highest mountain in Ashe County at 5,180 feet.
Scientists, sportsmen and hiking enthusiasts speak with awe of The Peak and Long Hope Creek. The creek flows into the New River, one of the oldest rivers in the world, while the bordering hardwood forests, rock outcrops and seepage springs harbor important ecological communities.
“The New River Headwaters region has tremendous biological diversity. The Peak and Long Hope Creek are critical components of the landscape,” says Katherine Skinner, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy’s North Carolina Chapter. “We’re saving one of the vital jewels in the southern Appalachians and a priceless part of our natural heritage.”
Two contiguous tracts of land will be protected. The larger, at 585 acres, will be transferred to the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation to become part of Elk Knob State Natural Area, which has as its core property 1,238 acres at Elk Knob just north of Boone. The second tract (566 acres) will be protected through a conservation easement held by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and managed by The Nature Conservancy.
Preservation will provide a safe haven for many species, including native brook trout and other fishes, rare plants such as the federally endangered spreading avens (a perennial herb) and several uncommon animals—among them the pygmy salamander. Protection of these properties will also provide a wildlife corridor connecting The Peak with Three Top Mountain Game Land and ensure that large mammals such as bobcat and black bear have safe passage through the hardwood forests that link the high peaks.
“The Natural Heritage Program surveys have found many important ecological communities here, including rare high elevation seeps and amphibolite rock outcrops,” says Mike Leonard, a Trustee of the Natural Heritage Trust Fund. “The Southern Appalachians have a unique combination of elevation, climate, rock type and other variables that result in a diverse and unusual assemblage of plants and animals, many of them rare or imperiled.”
The properties are located in Ashe County. Nearby are Three Top Mountain Game Land, managed by the Wildlife Resources Commission; Paddy Mountain, managed jointly by the N.C. Plant Conservation Program and The Nature Conservancy; the Conservancy’s Bluff Mountain Preserve; Mount Jefferson State Natural Area; and the New River State Park. The protected land totals more than 9,100 acres. The area faces extreme pressure from development and timbering operations.
“Conserving these two tracts will protect almost the entire lower watershed of Long Hope Creek. These waters are integral to the ecological protection of the site,” says Bill Holman, Executive Director of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. “Long Hope Creek is designated by the Division of Water Quality as important to the protection of Outstanding Resource Waters. High water quality contributes to downstream water health and recreation, such as fishing and canoeing.”
Lewis Ledford, director of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation says, “The acquisition of the Long Hope Creek property is an important benchmark in the expansion of Elk Knob State Natural Area and in the overall vision for conservation in the northwest mountains. Over time, the people of North Carolina will even more fully appreciate the generosity of The Nature Conservancy, the National Committee for the New River, the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, the High Country Conservancy and all the other partners.”
In July, the N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority set aside $313,000 for development of interim facilities at Elk Knob, to include an entrance road and parking area, picnic grounds, a park office and trail improvements to the summit. A citizens’ park advisory committee will be appointed soon, followed by the master planning process.
Conservation partners in this project include: The Nature Conservancy; the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation; the Clean Water Management Trust Fund; the Natural Heritage Program of the One NC Naturally initiative; the Natural Heritage Trust Fund; the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust; the High Country Conservancy; and the National Committee for the New River.
“These lands and waters, and particularly The Peak, are significant cultural landmarks for the small surrounding communities,” says Jeffrey Scott, Executive Director of the National Committee for the New River. “It is critical that we preserve the rugged and unique beauty for future generations to treasure.”
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