So far this year CTNC has awarded over $173,000 to land trusts in the NC mountains to pay for transaction costs involved with conserving ten properties. CTNC made the awards, ranging from $8,000 to $25,000, to six land trusts to protect conservation values on 616 acres. The grants are made from a portion of CTNC’s Mountain Revolving Loan Fund. Grants are available for surveys, appraisals, environmental assessments, baseline documentation reports, legal fees, closing costs, and staff time, as well as future monitoring, stewardship, and legal defense.
Funded projects include Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy’s Happy Hollow project, a conservation easement on 35 acres visible from the Whitewater Way Scenic Byway, and Pacolet Area Conservancy’s project in Polk County to protect 90 acres of mature hardwood forest along the Green River and its tributaries. In October, land trusts submitted ten more project applications which will compete for the remaining $145,000 that CTNC has available this year.