The North Carolina state income tax credit for landowners who donate their land or easements for conservation purposes expired on December 31, 2013. In response, CTNC distributed more than $1,000,0000 in grants to local land trusts so that they could protect as many properties as possible before the deadline.
Often the biggest hurdle to completing land or easement donations is the absence of funding from the landowner or land trust to cover necessary transaction costs such as appraisals, surveys, legal work, and long-term stewardship. Our grants to land trusts, capped at $25,000 per property, cover transaction costs and help protect dozens of tracts with high priority conservation values that otherwise would not be conserved.
As of January 3rd, CTNC has approved 63 projects and awarded $1,070,285 in grants to 16 land trusts. These 63 projects protect 7,697 acres and leverage $26,354,371 in donated land values.
Humpback Mountain Property Protected on Blue Ridge Parkway – Marks 50th Parkway Property Conserved
Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) purchased a spectacular 523-acre property on Humpback Mountain in Avery and McDowell counties. The tract borders the Blue Ridge Parkway for nearly 3.5 miles between mileposts 319 and 323.
The Humpback Mountain property contains over three miles of clear-running streams. These tributaries of both the North Toe River and the North Fork Catawba River will remain pristine for wild trout populations and for drinking water supplies for downstream communities. Preservation of the property will also maintain healthy forests and wildlife habitat and will prevent any changes to a potentially developable ridge top bordering the Parkway.
The Conservation Trust purchased the tract with generous funding from Fred and Alice Stanback of Salisbury, the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Acres for America Program.
“Conserving the Humpback Mountain tract is essential to preserving scenic views that draw millions of people to the Blue Ridge Parkway each year,” said Mark Woods, Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent. “We congratulate the Conservation Trust for North Carolina for protecting its fiftieth property along the Parkway.”
“Permanent protection of the Humpback Mountain property will ensure clean water downstream, contribute to a growing conserved area for habitat, and increase recreational opportunities for North Carolina families,” said Margaret Newbold, CTNC Associate Director.
Preservation of this property expands the existing wildlife corridor linking neighboring state and federally owned properties, increasing the capacity to support healthy animal populations. The tract is adjacent to CTNC’s Little Tablerock Mountain project, which CTNC protected in 2004 and subsequently conveyed to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) for inclusion in its Game Lands program. The Conservation Trust will convey the Humpback Mountain property to WRC as well, expanding public access to conserved lands.
Protection of Humpback Mountain continues CTNC’s broader efforts, in close cooperation with local land trusts and government agencies, to protect the highest priority scenic views, streams, and forests along the Parkway. CTNC’s efforts are guided by a sophisticated GIS-based conservation plan and mapping tool to ensure that limited resources are focused on the most critical lands to conserve.
Highlights among CTNC’s 50 Parkway projects include Asheville’s 17,000-acre drinking water supply watershed, Waynesville’s 8,000-acre watershed, and a 1,500-acre property bordering the Orchard at Altapass near Spruce Pine.
Two Properties Conserved near Waterrock Knob on Blue Ridge Parkway
CTNC purchased a 104-acre property that adjoins the Blue Ridge Parkway for over half a mile in Jackson County. The forested property, at milepost 451.5, can be viewed from Cranberry Ridge Overlook and other areas along the Parkway.
The tract contains almost half a mile of Open Branch in the headwaters of Soco Creek in the Little Tennessee River basin. Elevations range from 3,900 to 5,000 feet, making it prime high-elevation spruce-fir habitat. The Conservation Trust purchased the tract below appraised value. Generous funding was provided by Fred and Alice Stanback of Salisbury.
Conservation of the Open Branch tract complements CTNC’s acquisition of 16 acres below the Hornbuckle Valley Overlook at milepost 453.4. This tract is completely forested and abuts the Parkway for a quarter mile. The purchase price was again below the appraised value.
CTNC plans to convey the Open Branch and Hornbuckle Valley Overlook properties to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Parkway’s official boundary within three years. The tracts are part of a growing area of contiguous, protected land that is intended to become the Waterrock Knob/Plott-Balsams Park along the Parkway.
“The preservation of these two properties in their natural condition is a major plus for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Pristine waters, mature forests, and healthy wildlife habitat will remain forever. In addition, the tracts’ scenic appeal will continue to attract visitors to the western portion of the Parkway,” said Mark Woods, Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent.
“We greatly appreciate the owners of both properties because they offered them at bargain prices, enabling us to use our resources efficiently to preserve these beautiful natural areas,” said CTNC executive director Reid Wilson.
Melanie Allen named Audubon Toyota TogetherGreen Fellow
After a competitive nationwide selection process, Melanie Allen, CTNC’s Conservation and Diversity Coordinator, has received a fellowship award to initiate a project that works to bridge the gap between limited resource landowners and conservation professionals. This work will build upon the work CTNC is doing with the North Carolina Farm Turnaround Team, which meets with family farmers at the kitchen table to help identify and correct deficiencies and inefficiencies in their land management operation, and provide short term and long term strategies for turning things around.
TogetherGreen, a conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society and Toyota, selects 40 high-potential local leaders annually to receive a $10,000 grant. With the funds, Fellows conduct community projects to engage diverse audiences in habitat, water, or energy conservation. In addition to receiving support launching their conservation initiatives, the Fellows also benefit from specialized training and the opportunity to become part of an exciting alumni network of conservation professionals.
Learn more HERE about CTNC’s support to limited resource and minority landowners.
Due to tax reform legislation passed by the NC General Assembly, the NC Conservation Tax Credit will expire on January 1, 2014. This income tax credit for landowners who donate or make bargain sales of land and easements for conservation purposes has helped protect over 230,000 acres of forests, farms, waterways, wildlife habitat, wetlands, and other natural areas. If you’re a landowner interested in donating land or an easement, please get in touch with CTNC or your local land trust right away. For more information about conservation tax incentives, click here. Time is running out to protect your land!
CTNC to Provide up to $1.2M in Grants to Land Trusts
Due to tax reform legislation passed by the NC General Assembly, the NC Conservation Tax Credit will expire on January 1, 2014. This income tax credit for landowners who donate or make bargain sales of land and easements for conservation purposes has helped protect over 230,000 acres of forests, farms, waterways, wildlife habitat, wetlands, and other natural areas. Land trusts across the state are in a mad dash to complete as many land and easement donations as possible before year-end.
Often, a major obstacle to land trusts being able to complete donations and bargain sales is the absence of a funding source to pay for the necessary transaction costs – surveys, appraisals, attorney fees, etc. To address this shortfall, the CTNC board approved a mini-grant program available to local land trusts. CTNC will make up to $1.2 million available from our own funds (a combination of our revolving loan fund and operating reserves), with a maximum grant of $25,000 per property, to cover transaction costs. Because the land trusts have already begun reaching out to landowners to encourage them to donate their land or a conservation easement before the tax credit expires at year-end, we know there will be high demand for these mini-grants. Land trusts will apply to CTNC for the funding, and there will be a competitive review process.
If you’re a landowner considering donating (or making a bargain sale) of your land or a conservation easement, please call your local land trust today. Find them here.
For more information about conservation tax incentives, click here.
North Carolina’s First Youth Conservation Corps Completes Conservation Projects on Public Lands
NCYCC Crew Members head back to their campsite after a hard day’s work in the Croatan National Forest.
The North Carolina Youth Conservation Corps (NCYCC) has completed high priority conservation and community service projects that will enhance North Carolina’s public lands and create more recreation opportunities for visitors. The NCYCC deployed two summer crews of 16 to 24 year-olds from across the state. Each crew consisted of 5 to 8 youth working with two highly trained crew leaders. The crews started work on the projects June 22 and camped the entire seven weeks of their work session.
One NCYCC crew built a 7-mile mountain bike trail for the U.S. Forest Service in the Croatan National Forest. The second NCYCC crew completed a variety of projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Falls Lake Visitor Center, did trail construction and maintenance for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and removed invasive species from the Eno River for North Carolina State Parks. The project work included:
Croatan National Forest
Cleared a 7-mile corridor of thick vegetation for a new mountain bike trail;
Constructed the foundation for the bike trail;
Constructed a flat and smooth surface for the completed bike trail, using an excavator.
Falls Lake Dam Visitor Assistance Center
Constructed new amphitheatre and trail leading to it from the Falls Lake Visitor parking lot;
Constructed new RV gravel parking pad for volunteer workers at the Falls Lake Dam;
Removed invasive species from the Dam’s surrounding hardwood forest;
Completed trail maintenance on the Dam’s interpretive trail.
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST)
Completed trail maintenance on 60 miles of the MST in and around Falls Lake State Recreation Area and in Eno River State Park.
Eno River State Park
Removed Alligator Weed, an invasive aquatic species, from the Eno River.
A crew member works to build a gravel path to the new amphitheatre the crew built at Falls Lake Dam. The project was commissioned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The NCYCC, a partnership between the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, is a comprehensive youth development program that uses the natural world as a platform for teaching environmental stewardship, job and leadership skills, community service and personal responsibility. The crews worked 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 7 weeks and were paid minimum wage. Each work day included a one-hour educational program focused on conservation and social topics. The crews lived together at camp sites near their respective work projects.
“These young adults worked incredibly hard, often amid seemingly unending rainstorms, to enhance the visitor experience in Croatan National Forest, Falls Lake State Recreation Area, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and Eno River State Park. Our goal is to put more crews on the ground in summer 2014, including on local land trusts’ protected properties, to make them more available to the public,” said Reid Wilson, CTNC Executive Director.
“The NCYCC has managed to get significant parts of a couple of major projects done for the Eno River State Park that simply never would have gotten done by park staff alone,” said
NCYCC crew members spend one hour a day reading, journaling, and discussing conservation and other relevant social topics.
Keith Nealson, Park Superintendent for the Eno River State Park. “They contributed hundreds of hours of work helping to map and pull alligator weed, an invasive aquatic species in the Eno River, and made significant improvements to the Park’s outlying trails. They have done this work under less than ideal conditions and with minimal supervision. We are grateful to everyone involved for making this project happen.”
“The NCYCC has definitely been a very positive experience,” said Elijah Canup of the NCYCC Croatan Crew. ”I want to now pursue a career that will allow me to work outdoors.”
“The toughest part of the experience has been living without my cell phone,” said Thomas Best of the NCYCC Triangle Crew. “I’m used to texting my friends before going to bed at night. This experience has taught me to talk with nature and my fellow crew members instead.”
The Croatan National Forest crew members included Rebekah Siddiqi of Asheboro, Caroline Martin of Charlotte, Elijah Canup of Salisbury, Samantha Stephens of Reidsville, Michael Gibson of Wilmington, Kristoffer Gartner of Hillsborough, Britney Tatters of Fletcher, and Chris McGowan of Apex. The Triangle crew members were Elle Weeks of Carrboro, Kristine Ongchuan of Cary, Jonathan Hill of Raleigh, Thomas Best of Durham, and Wesley Hitson of Raleigh.
The NCYCC crews were sponsored by the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Woodson Family Foundation, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Great Outdoor Provision Company, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Kulynych Family Foundation, Little Acorn Fund, Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation, Columbia Sportswear, Merrell, Outdoor Nation, and numerous individual supporters.
Property Conserved on Bear Creek at Blue Ridge Parkway
The Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) recently purchased a 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 North Fork Scott Creek in Jackson County.
The property is completely forested and contains a beautiful cascading section of Bear Creek. Protection of the property will preserve views from the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway (including the Woodfin Cascades Overlook) and will provide a natural buffer to the Hi-Mountain subdivision. The property contains a portion of the Woodfin Falls Significant Natural Heritage Area and is in close proximity to the 6,000+-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. This acquisition is essential not only to protect the views but to connect wildlife habitat and critical natural ecosystems for local populations of black bear, white-tailed deer, Rocky Mountain elk, and northern flying squirrels.”
“This tract is near a particularly beautiful section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, so we are delighted that CTNC has acquired it to protect the views forever,” said Kate Dixon, Executive Director of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
CTNC purchased the property on May 23, 2013, for $215,000 from Greer State Bank in South Carolina with the intention of conveying the property to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Blue Ridge Parkway’s official boundary. David McCammon, a representative of Greer State Bank stated, “We appreciate CTNC’s goals and objectives. In most cases, land we sell is almost immediately modified in some way. We are glad to be able to further CTNC’s efforts for preservation. I spend a good bit of time outdoors, particularly in western NC and upstate SC, so nature preservation is an important personal goal as well.”
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (http://www.appalachian.org/), a local land trust based in Asheville, also works to conserve land along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson County.
The 2013-14 state budget that the NC Senate passed on May 23 provides roughly level conservation funding as the current year and more than doubles the conservation funding levels in Governor Pat McCrory’s recommended budget. The next steps in the budget process are that the House will propose and pass its own bill, then the Senate and House will need to work out any differences before presenting a final version to Gov. McCrory to either sign or veto.
The Senate budget consolidates two of the state’s four existing conservation trust funds (Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the Natural Heritage Trust Fund) into one, the Water and Land Conservation Fund. The new trust fund would fulfill the existing missions of those two trust funds and receive $12 million in fiscal year 2013 and $14 million in FY 2014. The states’ remaining conservation trust funds, the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFPTF) and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PRTF), would remain as separate trust funds. PRTF, which funds expansion and maintenance of state parks and also provides matching grants for local governments to develop and expand local parks projects, would receive an $11 million appropriation in FY 13-14 and $13 million in FY 14-15. ADFPTF, which funds working farm conservation easements and other farm preservation projects, is slated to receive level funding of $1.7 million.
As with the Governor’s recommended budget, the Senate budget eliminates the dedicated funding source for conservation (a portion of the deed stamp tax). Land for Tomorrow, a coalition of conservation (including CTNC), hunting and fishing, agriculture, business, and local government groups, is asking the House to maintain that dedicated revenue. Dedicated funding is essential for land conservation because it provides stable and secure revenue.
State conservation funding has been cut significantly since the recession hit (the Clean Water Management Trust used to be funded at $100 million/year), and demand for conservation project funding continues to far outpace available funds. Identified conservation needs exceed $50 million, and the Senate’s budget takes a positive step toward fulfilling those needs.
Conservation projects help protect drinking water and air quality, provide trails and parks for families to enjoy, support family farms that produce fresh and local foods, and maintain healthy wildlife habitat. And, importantly, conserved lands support NC’s biggest industries – agriculture, tourism, the military – and are a powerful draw for new businesses.
In addition to the budget, Land for Tomorrow will also be working with legislative leaders to ensure that the state’s income tax credit for donations of conservation properties is not eliminated. Bills have been introduced in both houses that would do away with this essential conservation tool which has helped protect more than 230,000 acres of forests, farms, and other natural areas. Click here to find out more about the NC Conservation Tax Credit and send your legislators a message that you support conservation.
CTNC and the Asheville City Council have come to a final agreement on a new conservation easement that strengthens protections for the city’s drinking water supply watershed. Recorded on January 28, the “new and improved” easement replaces one that had been in effect since 1996. (The easement is a permanent legal agreement that restricts activities on the property that could degrade water quality, forest health, wildlife habitat, or scenic views from the Blue Ridge Parkway).
Asheville’s North Fork Reservoir and Bee Tree Reservoir are fed by creeks and streams trickling down more than 17,000 forested acres in the Black Mountains.
The Asheville City Council had unanimously approved a new draft easement on December 11, 2012, and the parties worked diligently since then to complete a final document. CTNC will hold the easement, and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC), the local land trust based in Asheville, will serve as the “backup holder” should that become necessary.
The easement’s top priority is to care for the land to ensure high water quality in the streams and reservoirs. A key new provision is that commercial logging is prohibited on the property. The agreement calls for a forest stewardship plan to guide activities that will maintain forest health and wildlife habitat. And, the easement ensures that spectacular views of the watershed along fifteen miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway will remain unspoiled.
The agreement was reached amid the backdrop of great controversy and uncertainty regarding future ownership and management of Asheville’s water system. Members of the General Assembly are writing a bill that would transfer authority from the city to the Metropolitan Sewerage District. The fate of that legislation remains to be determined.
“The new agreement guarantees that no matter who is in charge of Asheville’s water supply in the future, stronger protections for water quality, forest health, wildlife habitat, and scenic views will be locked into place forever,” said Reid Wilson, CTNC executive director.
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy was a crucial partner throughout the redrafting of the agreement. “When the original easement was put into place in 1996, it was state-of-the-art. However, in the years since then, we’ve learned a great deal about how to strengthen such agreements so that they withstand the test of time. It was wise for the parties to take action to strengthen the protections for the watershed,” said Carl Silverstein, SAHC executive director.
“It was nearly 100 years ago that Asheville’s leaders began acquiring lands in the watershed,” said Marc Hunt, a member of the Asheville City Council. “They knew that protecting the land that feeds the water supply was critical to public health and economic growth. Approval of stronger permanent protections will build on that legacy and will ensure safe and plentiful drinking water for generations to come.”
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