Piedmont Land Conservancy recently transferred two tracts totaling 297 acres to the Town of Elkin for permanent ownership and management. The property is located on US Highway 21 near Stone Mountain State Park.
The properties, protected forever by a conservation easement held by the conservancy, protect several streams that form the headwaters of Elkin’s drinking water supply, Elkin Creek.
The properties are located on the steep, forested slopes of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the region of significant elevation change leading up to the Blue Ridge. The Escarpment is one of the most ecologically significant landscapes in North Carolina due to the presence of extensive, unfragmented forests, headwaters streams, and habitat for many sensitive species of plants and animals.
One tract was donated to the conservancy by the Chatham Family in 1999 and Piedmont Land Conservancy acquired the other tract in 2020 from the C.S. Lassiter family. Combined the two tracts create a 297-acre preserve.
“The properties provide an excellent opportunity to create high quality, low-impact recreation and education opportunities for nearby residents and visitors,” the agency said in announcing the gift to the town. Volunteers with Elkin Valley Trails Association are already developing plans for a network of mountain biking and hiking trails to be created over the next couple of years. Historically, a part of this property was to become a portion of the Elkin & Alleghany Railroad.
“This was such an amazing opportunity to be able to take acquisition of almost 300 acres of woodlands that protect the headwaters of the Big Elkin Creek. With this perpetual conservation easement, the citizens of Elkin will always know their source of drinking water will be protected. On behalf of the Town of Elkin and its citizens, we would like to especially thank the hard work of the staff at Piedmont Land Conservancy as well as here locally, Watershed NOW and the Elkin Valley Trails Association” said Elkin Mayor Sam Bishop.
Piedmont Land Conservancy has protected significant sections of the Blue Ridge Escarpment within the north-central Piedmont, including the headwaters of the Mitchell River and the Fisher River, including Fisher Peak.
The Chatham Foundation, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Piedmont Land Conservancy supporters and the North Carolina Native Plant Society all made gifts to support the acquisition of the Elkin Creek Headwaters property from the Lassiter family.
Piedmont Land Conservancy is a grassroots land trust dedicated to permanently protecting important lands to conserve rivers and streams, natural and scenic areas, wildlife habitat and farmland. The agency has protected morethan 30,000 acres in 250 projects across its nine-county region of Alamance, Caswell, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties. To learn more about the conservancy, and how to support its efforts, visit www.piedmontland.org or call 336-691-0088.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com