Last Updated on February 19, 2024 10:53 am
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina announces the purchase andpermanent protection of a 326-acre parcel of land in Blowing Rock, NC, that contains theheadwaters of the Johns River and is part of an iconic view seen from The Blowing Rockattraction, U.S. 321 and other locations within the town limits of Blowing Rock.
The property is positioned on the Blue Ridge escarpment, partially located in both the BlowingRock and Globe communities of Caldwell County, and is part of the viewshed corridor of thesweeping and magnificent mountainous panorama.
“Immediate scenic vistas from the iconic Blowing Rock natural feature and Highway 321 arenow preserved with the completion of this important 326-acre acquisition, benefittinggenerations of visitors and residents of Blowing Rock, the front door to NC's High Country.”said Tom Kenney, FCNC’s Land Protection Director. “Equally important are protected habitatsadjoining Pisgah National Forest, the large North Carolina natural area, Blowing Rock Cliffs andthe numerous springs and seeps that form as the Johns River. Downstream, these tributariescontribute to a large supply of clean drinking water for more than two million people in Valdese,Caldwell County, Hickory, Charlotte and beyond,” Kenney added.
The Johns River, a major tributary of the Catawba River, begins on the property, and the landharbors a number of significant natural communities and threatened plant and animal speciesdocumented by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.
“Foothills Conservancy of NC is honored that the family who owned and stewarded the land for over a century gave our land trust this opportunity and entrusted us with permanently conservingtheir family land in Blowing Rock,” said FCNC Executive Director Andrew Kota. “We are alsoincredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and generosity from Blowing Rock communitymembers who rallied around our land trust to ensure the property was permanently protected forfuture generations,” Kota said.
Leveraging its experience and national reputation for successfully protecting high-valueconservation projects, FCNC received substantial grant funding for this project.
“We offer our sincerest gratitude to the Stanback family, the Wilson family and the GlassFoundation for standing behind our land trust and providing extraordinary funding support forthis project, as well as the Duke Energy Foundation, North Carolina Land and Water Fund,Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group and Alice Zawadski Land Conservation Fund, forgrants that enabled permanent land conservation through a conservation easement. I also want toexpress appreciation to three special ladies who put their hearts and souls into this project, anddidn't rest until they assured that the community of Blowing Rock was plugged into the effort –Judy Allison, Dinny Harper Addison and Lee Harper Vason,” said Kota.
Judy Allison, Dinny Harper Addison and Lee Harper Vason were honored with FCNC's 2023Ruby Pharr Conservationist of the Year award, the organization’s highest honor for conservationvolunteer service. In addition to the Ruby Award recipients, FCNC received an outpouring ofsupport from hundreds of people within the Blowing Rock community.
“As Mayor of Blowing Rock and the proprietor of the Town's namesake, The Blowing Rock, Iwas very pleased when I learned the Conservancy was purchasing the area below the BlowingRock Attraction known as the Johns River Gorge,” said Charlie Sellers, Mayor of Blowing Rock.“In my travels, I have visited many places that were pretty and well kept. Now, returning to thoselocations, I have seen buildings out of control and very little green space. I am a proponent ofconserving land so the next generations have the ability to enjoy nature without the concerns ofover building and destroying the environment,” addedSellers.
The success of this project can be attributed to the collaborative approach that FCNC took, whichinvolved community stakeholders and local government. This approach proved to be essentialfor the long-term health and sustainability of Blowing Rock’s natural environment.
FCNC’s Johns River Headwaters conservation preserve is not accessible to the public, and thereare no designated public access points. However, residents and visitors may enjoy views of theproperty from the Blowing Rock Attraction located off US 321.
Review FCNC 2023 Impact Report HERESee the story on FCNC Website HERE
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina is a nationally accredited regional land trust thatinspires conservation in Western North Carolina by permanently protecting land and water forthe benefit of people and all living things. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Foothills Conservancy hasconserved more than 70,000 acres in its eight county service area: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell,
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Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell and Rutherford, in three major river basins: the Broad,Catawba and Yadkin. Information about Foothills Conservancy, including ways to support itswork, can be found online at www.foothillsconservancy.org