Open Space Institute and Mainspring Conservation Trust have announced the conservation of more than 4,400 acres across the Snowbird, Unicoi and Cheoah mountain ranges. The multi-year project comprises a patchwork of 17 parcels connecting more than 1.65 million acres of ecologically rich public lands in a region of national conservation significance.
Long regarded by the state of North Carolina and the U.S. Forest Service as a top conservation priority, this assemblage forms crucial connections among protected landscapes that stretch across three states.
The Snowbird properties had been increasingly threatened by encroaching development. OSI and Mainspring completed the $23.3 million acquisition in early 2026 and will transfer the properties to the state of North Carolina and the USFS between 2026 and 2029.