Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a regional land trust, said today it has sold to the U.S. Forest Service 88 acres that include a trail to the spectacular series of falls. The tract is in McDowell County near Old Fort.
The Forest Service paid $713,000 that Congress approved in December under legislation sponsored by U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., and David Price, D-N.C. The money came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses federal royalties from oil and gas leases.
Foothills Conservancy sold the land at a $124,000 discount made possible by a gift of that amount from Salisbury philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback.
The falls have been part of the Pisgah forest since 1989 but didn’t have a trail that was open to the public, said Foothills land protection director Tom Kenney. The sale announced today includes a tract that allows public access.
Legislation to expand the Pisgah’s boundaries to include the new purchase, cosponsored by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., is before the Senate. Similar legislation has already passed the House with bipartisan support.
“Acquiring this tract has been a priority for North Carolina’s national forests for more than a decade,” said Marisue Hilliard, supervisor of the state’s national forests.
Foothills Conservancy has protected another 1,384 acres in the Catawba headwaters, adjoining the Pisgah forest, since 2005.
The Forest Service paid $713,000 that Congress approved in December under legislation sponsored by U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., and David Price, D-N.C. The money came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses federal royalties from oil and gas leases.
Foothills Conservancy sold the land at a $124,000 discount made possible by a gift of that amount from Salisbury philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback.
The falls have been part of the Pisgah forest since 1989 but didn’t have a trail that was open to the public, said Foothills land protection director Tom Kenney. The sale announced today includes a tract that allows public access.
Legislation to expand the Pisgah’s boundaries to include the new purchase, cosponsored by Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., is before the Senate. Similar legislation has already passed the House with bipartisan support.
“Acquiring this tract has been a priority for North Carolina’s national forests for more than a decade,” said Marisue Hilliard, supervisor of the state’s national forests.
Foothills Conservancy has protected another 1,384 acres in the Catawba headwaters, adjoining the Pisgah forest, since 2005.
Want to go?-AS181NKJ
The trail is open, but parking is very limited for now. Take Interstate 40 Exit 73 in Old Fort and go south on SR 1274 (Catawba Falls Road) and follow it about 3 miles to its end.
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