Property along parkway in Jackson protected
The Conservation Trust for North Carolina recently purchased a 31-acre property that adjoins the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 446. The tract contains a portion of Bear Creek in the headwaters of the North Fork Scott Creek in Jackson County.
The property is completely forested and contains a cascading section of Bear Creek. Protection of the property will preserve views from the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway and will provide a natural buffer to a nearby subdivision. The property contains a portion of the Woodfin Falls Significant Natural Heritage Area and is in close proximity to the 6,000 plus-acre complex of lands within the proposed Waterrock Knob/Plott-Balsams Park along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“Safeguarding these 31 acres of sensitive high elevation habitat is another impressive (CTNC) accomplishment,” said Monika Mayr, acting superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Each time buffer land is added to the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor, we assure millions of visitors will continue to enjoy a spectacular, unspoiled landscape.
The property was purchased May 23 for $215,000 from Greer State Bank in South Carolina with the intent to convey it to the National Park Service as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s official boundary.
