Allegheny Highlands Program
- Phone: 540-627-6085
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A sea of forested ridges stretches to the horizon—an unexpected expanse of intact habitat in a well‑traveled part of America. Long before TNC began its work here, Native American nations were the original stewards of these mountains, caring for and shaping the Appalachian landscape for millennia. Our own story in the region began in 2002 with the protection of Warm Springs Preserve, a 9,000‑acre property that remains one of the largest and most ecologically significant forests in the Central Appalachians. Its protection helped stitch together hundreds of thousands of acres of conserved lands, forming a vital wildlife corridor at the heart of the Allegheny Highlands.
From that foundation, our work has expanded across the Appalachian region in Virginia. We’ve built strong relationships with the U.S. Forest Service and local partners, growing from a single landmark acquisition into a collaborative, cross‑boundary conservation program. Today, our strategy centers on three pillars—protection, restoration and improved management—to ensure these mountains remain a natural stronghold as extreme weather events become more frequent. Together, we’re supporting and strengthening the ecological and community resilience of the Allegheny Highlands and the broader Appalachian landscape.
Our Work
Land Protection
The Appalachians are one of the world’s most biologically and carbon rich landscapes—home to extraordinary diversity in plants, wildlife and habitats. Growing pressures—from development and mining to agriculture, unsustainable forestry and habitat fragmentation—threaten the region’s ecological, economic and community well‑being. Rising temperatures and more extreme weather are also reshaping habitats, pushing many species to find refuge along the Appalachian range.
As nature shifts, TNC is working across state boundaries and alongside local partners in Virginia to protect this vital landscape. By focusing on strategic land protection and safeguarding migratory pathways and areas of high biodiversity, we’re building a resilient, connected network.
Prescribed Fire
We are using prescribed fire to manage and restore our Appalachian forests in Virginia. As the climate changes, controlled burns create the conditions native species need—new generations of oak and pine, open sunlit woodlands, and rich patches of grasses and wildflowers that support remarkable plant diversity.
We work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to expand our impact and capacity. We are also part of the Fire Learning Network, which allows us to expand the fire culture, expertise and science.
Fresh Water
In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, we are developing watershed restoration action plans that pinpoint where ecological function can be improved—and outline projects to get us there.
Aquatic connectivity is a key focus of this work. Together with partners, TNC is replacing undersized culverts and other barriers that prevent fish and aquatic wildlife from moving freely up and downstream. Reconnecting these waterways not only restores habitat—it also supports the fish populations that local communities and economies rely on.
Science and Research
With a science-based approach, our team delivers the data, analysis and collaborative guidance needed to keep biodiversity in mind for every conservation decision. From assessing emerging threats—like spongy moth defoliation in a rapidly changing forest—to sharing information with partners, science and research are the basis of our work.
The Appalachian Mountains are one of the world’s most biologically and carbon rich landscapes—home to extraordinary diversity in plants, wildlife and habitats. Today, that natural heritage faces growing pressures from development, mining, agriculture, unsustainable forestry and fragmentation. Climate change is accelerating these challenges, reshaping ecosystems and pushing many species to seek refuge along the mountain range.
In Virginia, The Nature Conservancy is working across state lines and alongside local communities to safeguard this irreplaceable region. Through strategic land protection, the conservation of climate‑resilient habitats and the preservation of key migratory pathways, we’re helping to build a resilient and connected network of lands and waters that supports both nature and people.
Together, we’re finding a way for the Appalachians to remain a thriving refuge—for the species that depend on them today and the generations yet to come.
Trailblazers: Women in Fire
Female fire professionals are blazing new career trails while harnessing the power of fire to restore forests.
Fire, Management and Monitoring
Learn how the Allegheny Highlands Program uses fire to maintain biological diversity in an ecosystem critical to climate change migration.
Making Connections in the Allegheny Highlands
A partnership protecting nearly 2,000 acres of land will connect diverse habitat thanks to the vision and generosity of landowner Fitz Gary.
Warm Springs Mountain
Three public trails offer an introduction to one of the most ecologically significant forests in the Central Appalachians.
Central Appalachians
Spanning six states and more than 50,000 square miles of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in America.
Natural Highways and Neighborhoods
A remarkable mapping tool provides a roadmap for conserving places where plants and animals can thrive in a changing climate.
Program Milestones
Accomplishments
We're working to ensure that these mountains at the edge of Appalachia remain a natural stronghold against climate change, and that the Allegheny Highlands' human and natural communities are supported, restored and enhanced.
More than 9,000 acres of critical native forest acquired on Warm Springs Mountain, marking TNC's largest single land purchase to date in Virginia.
Central Appalachians Fire Learning Network (FLN) formed.
Largest collaborative burn ever conducted between USFS and TNC in the country.
Warm Springs Mountain Preserve’s 10 year anniversary.
Ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate final payment for Warm Springs Mountain Preserve and the unveiling of a new trailhead at the Dan Ingalls Overlook.
10 years of avian monitoring completed in the Allegheny Highlands.
Nearly 2,000 acres of land in Highland County placed under permanent conservation easement by landowner Fitz Gary, preserving biodiversity and vital habitat corridors.
A generous gift by Truman Semans of his family’s historic Hobby Horse Farm in Bath County elevates adjoining Warm Springs Mountain Preserve into a flagship preserve for the Appalachians.
CONNECT WITH THE Allegheny Highlands
For inquiries about conducting research in Warm Springs Mountain Preserve or to learn more about our conservation work.
208 East Washington Street, Ste. B
Lexington, VA 24450
Phone: 540-627-6085
For media inquiries, please contact Ann Nallo, Director of Marketing and Communications in Virginia, by phone at 804-613-9921 or email ann.nallo@tnc.org.
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Explore the Allegheny Highlands
Guided by science, we collaborate with a variety of partners to protect the forests, caves, rivers and unique habitats of the Allegheny Highlands.
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Take a Closer Look
Drones and Dragon Eggs
Good weather, strong partnership and new technology contributed to a successful burn season in Virginia.
Once an Enemy, Fire Is Now a Tool for Regenerating Forests
TNC and partners are returning fire to the landscape in the Central Appalachians.
Weighing the Benefits
Could controlled burns promote climate change by releasing more carbon into the atmosphere? A new TNC study aims to find out.
Our world faces complex conservation challenges. Meet the people who are working on creative, lasting solutions in the Central Appalachians.
Blair Smyth, Allegheny Highlands Program Director
email: blair.smyth@tnc.org
Blair leads our efforts in the Allegheny Highlands, a key part of TNC’s six-state Central Appalachians Program, directing land protection and forest and habitat restoration efforts, including our work to return fire to Warm Springs Mountain’s oak and pine communities.
"I enjoy getting to work at a larger scale and having a broader impact. Collaborating with partners allows us to work together to achieve lasting impacts and implement strategies like prescribed fire at a landscape level."
Eric Homan, Restoration Technician
email: eric.homan@tnc.org
Eric's work is focused on maintaining and restoring connectivity and diversity on the landscape, restoring healthy and functional forests in the Allegheny Highlands through the implementation of fire, and protecting and maintaining Warm Springs Mountain Preserve for habitat and public access.
"I enjoy spending my time outdoors and working to enhance and protect the living world around me. It is rewarding to watch how the forest responds to what we do."
Jean Lorber, Conservation Scientist
email: jlorber@tnc.org
Jean uses his forestry and forest ecology background on projects ranging from land protection to conservation planning. Currently, he provides scientific and analytical capacity to the Allegheny Highlands Program, focused on Appalachian forest restoration.
"I love working in the Appalachians because of the sheer volume of life it holds. In the same hike, I can find 10 salamander species, 50 birds and 100 wildflowers. Working to keep that diversity around is an honor and a privilege."
Zoe McGee, Program Coordinator
email: zoe.mcgee@tnc.org
Zoe joined the Allegheny Highlands team in 2021 after working two seasons as the Dave Tice Science Technician. Her role encompasses many areas of the program's work, including prescribed fire and leading the Heart of the Appalachians forest structure and composition monitoring program, as well as efforts to integrate the 600-acre Hobby Horse Farm property, donated to TNC in 2022.
"I love that I get to support multiple facets of our program. I feel proud being a part of the hard work that staff, partners and volunteers have put in to protecting this beautiful mountain and land along the Central Appalachians."
Laurel Schablein, Conservation Coordinator
email: lschablein@tnc.org
Laurel collaborates with our diverse set of partners to achieve the program's large-scale restoration and monitoring goals, including working with fire as a tool to achieve healthy mountain landscapes.
"Every day is different and every time I set foot on the lands we support; I feel a renewed sense of awe in these mountains."
Caleb Haynes, Restoration Technician
email: caleb.haynes@tnc.org
Caleb joined the Allegheny Highlands team in March of 2023. He has a background in land management and conservation. In his role, Caleb works to restore forests on Warm Springs Mountain Preserve and surrounding partner lands, primarily through the use of prescribed fire.
"I had the privilege of growing up in the Allegheny Highlands, where I spent much of my time exploring the woods and waters just outside my back door. To now have the opportunity to steward the portion of creation that is our landscape is and honor—and to do it with this team is a bonus."
Holly Lafferty, Freshwater Restoration Specialist
email: holly.lafferty@tnc.org
Holly joined the Allegheny Highlands Program in 2024 after working with TNC Virginia’s Aquatic Resources Trust Fund for four years. Her role is to work with partners to create and implement watershed restoration action plans in key locations along Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains.
"It can be hard to believe how much lives in and along a steam until you take a close look, especially in the Appalachians. I love that I can discover something new every time I venture into the mountains."
Warm Springs Mountain is a keystone tract that helps stitch together one of the largest undeveloped landscapes on the East Coast, offering opportunities to practice conservation at a remarkable scale. A 13-mile border in common with the George Washington National Forest allows for collaboration and resource sharing.
KEY PARTNERS
Warm Springs Mountain Preserve also provides a living laboratory where new science is developed to gain insight about the plants and animals of the Central Appalachians region.
Key Academic Partners
The Allegheny Highlands program has collaborated with VCU on avian studies to track the migration of golden-winged warblers and cerulean warblers as well as developing proposals for land management studies for the benefit of golden-winged warblers and other wildlife.
We also work closely with faculty and students from Virginia Tech to facilitate research and provide access to the 10,000 acre preserve.
Recent and ongoing research has included studies to determine the distribution and habitat use of eastern spotted skunks in western Virginia; a comprehensive bat research and monitoring program on Warm Springs Mountain Preserve and the adjacent George Washington National Forest (funded by the national Joint Fire Science Program); estimating population abundance and determining habitat use and movement patterns of coyotes (Canis latrans) in the Warm Springs Mountain Preserve and surrounding National Forest, state, and private lands in Bath County; and studying the predation and scavenging behavior of bobcats, bears, and coyotes on white-tailed deer and the implications of that behavior on white-tailed deer populations.
Support the Allegheny Highlands Program with your eyes, ears and muscles!
Virginia's Preserve Volunteer Community Program provides a vital service to help up maintain and monitor our public preserves across the state, including our 10,000 acre Warm Springs Mountain Preserve.
How can you get involved?
- Community Members—become involved with a preserve without committing time to stewardship work. Receive periodic updates about the preserve and special events.
- Preserve Stewards—visit a preserve at least four times a year to assess trail and preserve conditions and perform basic trail maintenance by removing fallen branches and overgrown vegetation.
- Preserve Leaders—demonstrated commitment to the preserve and willingness to take on additional responsibilities like managing communication & scheduling, leading workdays, guiding naturalist hikes.
Please contact the Virginia Volunteer Program by email vapreservestewards@tnc.org to receive further information.