“New” Land Protection Projects

NCNR continues its steady pace protecting land important to the water quality and health of the New River.  In late 2010 and early 2011, three important conservation projects were completed, bringing the total acreage protected by NCNR in the watershed to 7,050 acres.

The Silas Creek Headwaters area was protected by longtime NCNR supporter John MacConnell.  The project includes 35 acres located in Ashe County, NC, near the town of Lansing, in the North Fork New River drainage.  Riparian buffers will forever protect two headwater streams that feed Silas Creek and ultimately the North Fork New River, as well as wildlife habitat and scenic open space.  The New’s waters here were  designated Outstanding Resource Waters by the NC Division of Water Quality in 2010.   By donating a conservation easement, MacConnell retains ownership of the land, but has ensured that the property will be protected in perpetuity, with no future subdivision or development of the land permitted, helping keep the New River clean and the area scenic.  The NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund provided funding for the project.

The Little Helton Creek Farm project is a 205-acre working cattle farm along Little Helton Creek in Ashe County, NC, and Grayson County, VA.  The project adds acreage to an existing 150- acre NCNR conservation easement already in place.  The landowners wished to protect their entire farm from development and ensure that it can remain a productive farm.  The rural location of the farm provides a spectacular landscape for the many visitors to Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia.  And, the easement further protects Ashe and Grayson counties rural agricultural heritage, as well as a large section of Little Helton Creek, designated Wild Trout Waters by VA’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) for wild populations of rainbow trout.  The farm continues in private ownership while the conservation agreement requires all timber harvesting and agricultural activities to be in accordance with the highest conservation standards for best management practice.  The property will forever remain in agricultural, forestry, and recreational uses only.

At the New River State Park (NRSP) in North Carolina, NCNR has helped secure the Little Peak project, assisting in the addition of 78 acres of land to the park.  The property is surrounded on three sides by the New River State Park and on the fourth by an existing NCNR protected property.  In addition to protecting this “donut hole” for the NRSP, the land contains a pristine tributary to Roan Creek and is part of the Little Peak Significant Natural Heritage Area as defined by the NC Natural Heritage Program.  The NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Natural Heritage Trust Fund, and Parks and Recreation Trust fund all provided funding for the acquisition.  Joe Shimel, New River State Park Superintendant, stated “This is a nice addition to the park that we have been hoping to get for a while, and it is part of a comprehensive plan for NRSP as well as a collaborative effort between the NRSP, NCNR and other conservation organizations to protect the New River corridor.”