Thanks to a generous land donation by Kit Trubey of Little Switzerland, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) protected another property near the Orchard at Altapass. This 16-acre parcel is located just down Orchard Road from the Altapass Orchard near milepost 329 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The property, in McDowell County, lies within more than 3,600 acres that CTNC has already protected in the immediate area.
Donation of the property to CTNC is the result of years of collaboration between CTNC and the Orchard’s co-owners, Kit Trubey and her brother Bill Carson. Ms. Trubey bought the 276-acre orchard to prevent development of the unique property. CTNC began working with them to protect the Orchard’s land, apple trees, trails, vistas, and cultural heritage. In 2001 CTNC purchased 132 acres of the orchard property upslope of the Parkway and donated it to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Parkway’s official boundary. In March 2015, CTNC and the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund preserved the remaining 125 acres of streams and the working orchard.
CTNC plans to donate the 16-acre property to the National Park Service for inclusion in the boundaries of the Blue Ridge Parkway. CTNC has now conserved 32,590 acres in 60 places along the Parkway.