Conservation easement protects Parkway view
The land George Rector and Joan Byrd donated for conservation will help water quality flowing into the Tuckaseigee River. Donated photo
A recently conserved 50-acre property is the third conservation easement that George Rector and Joan Byrd have donated to Mainspring Conservation Trust in the past five years.
Rector and Byrd bought the land, which is visible from Richland Balsam and other overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with the express purpose of protecting it for conservation.
“The fact that North Carolina has a rapidly growing population is putting increasing pressure on the remaining natural areas of the state,” Rector said. “We believe that future generations deserve the same access to clean air, clean water and healthy forests that we enjoy in western North Carolina today.”
Protecting the property conserves water quality and aquatic habitat, as its intermittent and perennial streams feed into the Bryson Branch and eventually into the Tuckaseigee River.
Mainspring Conservation Trust is a regional nonprofit dedicated to conserving the waters, forests, farms and cultural heritage in the Southern Blue Ridge. www.mainspringconserves.org.
