CONSERVATION
Despite Significant Growth And Other Preservation Efforts In 2006, It’s Still
A Race Against Time And Limited Resources As Development Pressures Mount

By Scott Nicholson
Land trusts saw growth in conservation easements and other preservation efforts in 2006, according to figures compiling the work of 13 regional land conservation organizations, but say they are in a race against time and limited resources as development pressures mount.
Last year, the organizations helped private landowners, communities and public partners preserve 11,100 acres of land in western North Carolina, finishing paperwork and closing easements on 64 different properties. Blue Ridge Forever, an initiative formed by the organizations to help coordinate their efforts, compiled the report, and said the actions have helped conserve water and air quality, wildlife habitat, scenic views, farmland and historic sites.
James Coman, director of Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, said that changes in tax laws taking effect in August created a groundswell of new interest. The laws give more favorable tax advantages to farmers who donate certain types of easements, and Coman said the extra work will strain the resources of conservation organizations in the next few years.
“We all had a pretty good year,” Coman said. “The big news was the prep work for a number of very large projects closing in 2007.”
Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust completed a dozen projects last year, 11 of them conservation easements totaling 538 acres. Several of those included tracts in Watauga County, protecting farms and working forests, the 1916-era Carender House, and additional buffers adjoining the Blue Ridge Parkway. An easement granted by the FaithBridge United Methodist Church will preserve a mountain bog as well as help protect water in Aho Branch.
“We’ve got to add staff in the coming year to deal with the interest,” Coman said. “Inquiries are up since last fall. Everything seems to be growing except for the amount of money for staff.”
The 13-organization partnership has a goal of protecting 50,000 acres by 2010. Among the more significant regional pieces were a 1,300-acre tract in the Mount Mitchell view shed, protection of important headwaters for the Catawba, New and Little Tennessee rivers, and an additional 271 acres that will be added to Hickory Nut Gorge State Park. Statewide, nearly 25,000 acres were protected by land trusts and conservancy groups last year.
Teresa Buckwalter, director of the Boone-based High Country Conservancy, said tourism was the state’s second-largest economic force and depended on the region’s scenic beauty. The Blue Ridge Parkway contributes an estimated $2 billion annually to local communities, and surveys have suggested dwindling views could lead to a decrease in parkway visitors.
High land values place more developmental pressure on the mountains, particularly in the second-home market. According to Blue Ridge Forever, the amount of developed land has increased by three-fourths in the last 20 years.
With the state’s population expected to soar, conservationists predict the loss of nearly a half million acres of land by 2022, an area as large as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As land values rise, conservation groups often deal with people torn between keeping their land and making a large profit on its sale.
A significant easement for the High Country Conservancy last year protected 100 acres of rare Southern Appalachian bog in Newland. The High Haven easement also protected threatened species and water quality for the Toe River.
The Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust is handling conservation easements for portions of the 6,800-acre Laurelmor development, of which more than a third will eventually be protected. Next year, the land trust expects to close on 700 acres in the first phase of the development. It also has significant projects slated in Ashe, Wilkes and Yancey counties. However, Coman’s primary goal for the coming year is to secure funding for additional staff members.
Coman said over his 15 years as a conservationist, farmers have increasingly embraced conservation easements as a way to keep working their farms. Because most types of easements can be tailored to the desires of the landowner, the agreements can be crafted to fit each donor’s needs, though it takes some work to craft the deals.
That’s where the next challenge comes in. The Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust has an administrative assistant, but Coman said all conservation organizations will need to beef up in order to handle the coming workload.
“We have a very active board, and board members are often directly involved in conservation work in their home counties,” Coman said. “But the benefits have expanded significantly. I believe the number of people working in the conservation movement will be the limiting factor in the years ahead.”