Nature Conservancy Protects Crucial Tract in Hickory Nut Gorge

45 Acres Will Add Spectacular Valley Views to New State Park

LAKE LURE, NORTH CAROLINA — The Nature Conservancy today announces the purchase and protection of a key tract of land overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. The 45-acre property offers spectacular views of the valley and will add an important piece to the conservation puzzle being formed by the new Chimney Rock State Park.

The property is located in Henderson and Rutherford counties and was purchased from Gene and Jean Heatherly for $777,750, based on appraisals commissioned by the Conservancy. It is contiguous to the 1,568-acre World’s Edge tract, protected by the Conservancy in 2005 and now belonging to the state’s Division of Parks and Recreation.

“The Nature Conservancy been protecting significant natural areas in Hickory Nut Gorge since the 1980s,” said David Ray, the Conservancy’s Southern Blue Ridge Landscape Director. “Together with many other partners in the area, we will help create a wonderful state park and will also safeguard this region’s rare species and ecosystems. Purchasing this property is critical to protecting the mountain top and to connecting lands already conserved.”

The Heatherlys are excited about the opportunity to conserve their land and protect wildlife.

“My wife and I knew that by working with The Nature Conservancy, we could preserve our land and provide a way for the people of North Carolina to enjoy this special place,” said Gene Heatherly.

The Conservancy expects to transfer the tract to the Division of Parks and Recreation within the next year.

“Acquiring land that has high natural resource value, such as the Heatherly tract, is vital to the long-term success of Chimney Rock State Park and to overall conservation efforts in the Hickory Nut Gorge,” said Lewis Ledford, director of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. “Our partnership in this project with The Nature Conservancy and other conservancies is paying excellent dividends in protecting our natural heritage.”

Chimney Rock State Park now stands at roughly 3,500 acres, and nearly all of that land bears the stamp of one or more of the conservation organizations working in the region. The Division of Parks and Recreation states that they are making good progress in acquiring a C-shaped arc of conservation land in the gorge.

This is the fourth significant acquisition announced within recent weeks, including another tract purchased by The Nature Conservancy and two purchased by the Carolina Mountain Lands Conservancy.

The Nature Conservancy’s conservation goal is to protect 10 percent of each major habitat on Earth by the year 2015. The Southern Blue Ridge, where Hickory Nut Gorge is located, is a priority forest habitat type for the Conservancy. Many rare plant and animal species, including some that are federally endangered, are found in the gorge.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.