Land added to Haywood’s Parkway section
Work from land trusts has been instrumental in preserving the Blue Ridge Parkway’s sweeping views in Western North Carolina. Holly Kays photo
The Blue Ridge Parkway is now 53.3 acres bigger thanks to the Conservation Trust for North Carolina’s recent donation of the Pinnacle Ridge tract in Haywood County.
Pinnacle Ridge is located at milepost 440 near the Waynesville and Village of Saunooke overlooks. Prior to its inclusion in Parkway lands, the property shared more than 4,000 feet of boundary with the National Park Service unit, including adjacency to the 110-acre Richland Creek Headwaters property that CTNC transferred to the Parkway in 2011.
“Conserving the Pinnacle Ridge tract is an investment in the scenic value, environmental benefits and economic vitality of the surrounding region,” said Rusty Painter, land protection director for CTNC. “Adding this property to the Blue Ridge Parkway is another great example of CTNC’s long-standing partnership with the National Park Service. Public-private partnerships like ours continue to strengthen the conservation community as we work toward a shared vision of conserving North Carolina’s natural and cultural heritage.”
Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent J.D. Lee lauded the donation as protecting “critical high-elevation forests so that they may be studied and enjoyed for years to come.”
Funding for the land’s acquisition and donation was provided through a donation from Fred and Alice Stanback of Salisbury, a grant from The Pigeon River Fund and reserves from CTNC’s Parkway Preservers Fund.
Conservation Trust for North Carolina has now conserved 69 properties on the Blue Ridge Parkway, totaling 34,591 acres. Conserving Carolina and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy also conserve land in Haywood County.
