Blue Ridge Conservancy and CTNC Team Up to Conserve 103 Acres in Alleghany County

Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) and the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) jointly purchased a 103-acre property along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany County.  The land borders the Parkway and Doughton Park for approximately 4,000 feet and features both scenic vistas and important wildlife habitat.

This section of the Parkway was cut into the north side of Bluff Mountain where ice coats the rocks above the road, thus giving this area the name “Ice Rock.” The Ice Rock is a popular destination for ice climbing in the winter when the Parkway is closed.

BRC and CTNC plan to donate this land to the National Park Service to be managed as part of Doughton Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The addition of this property to the Parkway will preserve the scenic vistas along the Parkway and increase the connectivity of protected lands in the area.

“Protecting the High Country’s scenic vistas and mountain landscapes is part of Blue Ridge Conservancy’s mission,” said Walter Clark, BRC Executive Director. “With the National Park Service’s Centennial this year, we celebrate the Parkway as the most frequently visited national park unit in the country.  BRC is proud to partner with CTNC to conserve these iconic views along this one-of-a-kind scenic byway.”

Doughton Park hosts 30 miles of hiking trails with open meadows, campgrounds, healthy forests and abundant wildlife viewing.  The park offers a variety of cultural and historical demonstrations by NPS staff.  “The Doughton Park section of the Blue Ridge Parkway has a special place in the Parkway’s history,” said Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods.  “It is among the oldest sections of the Parkway, yet with this newly protected tract and renewed interest in other attractions in this area, the future is very bright.”

“We are thrilled to have a small part in protecting this incredible view for all Parkway visitors to enjoy and encourage everyone to get out and explore Doughton Park,” said Margaret Newbold, CTNC Associate Director.

Funding for the Ice Rock project was made possible by a generous donation from Fred and Alice Stanback.

Blue Ridge Conservancy, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina and several other partners recently launched a website highlighting land trust protected properties along the NC section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The web link is:  http://protecttheblueridgeparkway.org/

The website includes photos and property descriptions, including availability for hiking, an interactive map, landowner stories, and information about each partner land trust and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

CTNC and Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) are helping to protect the land at Walnut Hill, a 410-acre property in Johnson and Wake Counties. TLC formally protects the land, while CTNC monitors the land in person to ensure that it is preserved in its initial, healthy state. This summer, four Stanback interns from CTNC visited Walnut Hill to conduct annual monitoring of the property. It’s a beautiful area, with plenty of forested areas and streams – natural lands like this are important for maintaining healthy wildlife populations and clean water. The visit provided a glimpse into the world of local wildlife, and how plant and animal species depend on each other.

Pollinators

Along the roads leading into Walnut Hill, pollinator species are immediately noticeable. Pollinators are animals – most often insects and birds – that move pollen between plants, helping the plants to reproduce. In this case, butterflies, moths, and bees are most commonly found on the roadside flowers.

Pollinators are crucial because many plants couldn’t reproduce without them. They also keep plant populations healthy by making sure they’re genetically diverse, meaning that if disease hits a group of plants, it’s less likely to wipe out the whole group since some of them can adapt and survive.

In North Carolina, common pollinators include swallowtail butterflies, bumblebees, honey bees, goldenrod soldier beetles, and ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Creeks & Streams

Streams are home to a huge variety of living things. In small waterways like this one, there may be small fish, frogs and toads, turtles, insects, and microscopic algae. Even more species may live nearby, including newts and salamanders, as well as special water-loving plants.

Activities upstream can have major impacts on streams like this, even miles away. When developed areas are highly paved, rainwater runs straight across the paved surfaces instead of filtering slowly into the ground. This causes the water to move quickly into nearby creeks and streams. It moves so quickly that it erodes the sides of the streams, causing sedimentation and damage to the habitat.

Forest Wildlife

Wildlife doesn’t just live in streams, though. Toads like this one, for example, can be found throughout the forest. Toads are amphibians, but some of the other animals we see most frequently are mammals and birds.

If you’ve ever been in a North Carolina forest, chances are you’ve seen white-tailed deer, an animal so common its populations can damage habitats because of the amount of plant matter they eat. Eastern cottontail rabbits are also native to the state, although they’re often harder to spot. Bats are sometimes found in forests, as they use hollow trees for shelter.

Birds are all around us whether we’re in the forest, city, or suburbs. The species of birds found in forests can be different from those in other areas, though, because the trees provide different feeding and roosting opportunities. Some of the more common forest birds include nuthatches, woodpeckers, warblers, and owls.

Plant Life

A forest is, of course, made up of plants. North Carolina is full of tree species like loblolly pine, hickory, live oak, and more. Walnut Hill contains both evergreen and hardwood trees, providing habitat for diverse species.

Walnut Hill also has some open fields, which are great locations for blackberries, raspberries, and milkweed. Tall grasses grow between these plants, along with shrubs and sometimes small trees. Many fields would eventually grow into forests if they didn’t experience frequent disturbance, such as mowing or fires. But fields like this provide valuable food and shelter for certain bird and insect species.

Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) purchased a 50-acre property in Jackson County that adjoins the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This property, known as the Open Branch Headwaters tract, provides a critical link between National Park Service (NPS) lands and other nearby protected properties.

The purchased land is located near Parkway milepost 452, rises to 5,400 feet and contains rare spruce-fir habitat, which makes its conservation even more beneficial. CTNC donated this land to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Parkway’s official boundary. This and other properties protected by CTNC and other conservation groups are part of a growing area of contiguous, protected land that is intended to become a new park at Waterrock Knob on the Parkway.

“Every time a property is conserved adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway, it improves the visitor experience by preserving scenic vistas, water quality, and habitat for wildlife,” said Mark Woods, Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent.  “Nonprofit conservation organizations are helping to transform the region near Waterrock Knob into a large area of protected forests and streams, and the Open Branch Headwaters tract is a key piece in that puzzle.”

“Protection of this property means pure water in Open Branch and healthy habitat for roaming wildlife,” said Rusty Painter, CTNC Land Protection Director.