Rose Creek adds Parkway scenery, trail protection

February 25, 2009

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

CTNC protects water, recreation, wildlife by purchasing 538-acre tract near Spruce Pine

Another significant segment of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail will be opened to the public with the Conservation Trust for North Carolina’s purchase of a 538-acre property on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Spruce Pine.

The Rose Creek property has more than a mile of frontage on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is visible from The Loops Overlook. It contains about 1.5 miles of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVT), which traces the route taken by colonial militia to the pivotal battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution. This segment of trail, which has not been accessible to the public, will now be open to hikers.

Conservation of the Rose Creek tract will also help protect spectacular views from the Parkway, wildlife habitat, and water quality downstream.

"The acquisition of this important piece of property is another great example of how dedicated partners can make a significant, long-lasting contribution to the protection of our American heritage,” said Phil Francis, superintendent of the National Park Service’s Blue Ridge Parkway unit. “The views from the Blue Ridge Parkway are important in many ways and, thanks to some very special people, they will now be always protected."

The property in Mitchell County lies within a priority area where the Conservation Trust focuses its protection efforts. CTNC recently purchased the 101-acre Jackson Knob Cove tract nearby, and is spearheading the ongoing effort to place a conservation agreement on the 1,600-acre CSX property at Heffner Gap, immediately across the Parkway from the Rose Creek tract. Both the Jackson Knob Cove and CSX tracts also contain segments of the trail.

Like the nearby 544-acre Little Tablerock Mountain tract, protected by the Conservation Trust in 2004 and now managed as a N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission gameland, the Rose Creek property will eventually be turned over to the state for permanent management and public recreation.

“Protection of the Rose Creek property marks one more step toward the conservation of an entire area that is critical for wildlife and water quality protection, as well as for recreation in the protection of a nationally significant historic trail,” said Reid Wilson, executive director of the Conservation Trust.

Mike and Suzanne Rose of Texas owned the property and entertained offers from developers before deciding to sell to the Conservation Trust in order to see the land protected.

Significant funding for the $5.65 million purchase will be provided by the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund ($3.79 million). This is one of three trail projects that received funding from the trust fund in 2008.

“Development of long-distance trail projects like the Overmountain Victory Trail in North Carolina is not only essential to the protection of water quality,” said Richard Rogers, executive director of CWMTF. “These trails play an important role in protecting our state’s economy by increasing recreational opportunities in their respective communities and enhancing the quality of life component that is critical for economic development. CWMTF is extremely happy to be involved in this effort.”

Fred and Alice Stanback of Salisbury contributed $1.14 million for the project, and the N.C. State Parks’ Recreation Trails Program provided $75,000. The Conservation Trust fronted the balance from its own funds, and will seek $802,000 from the NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund for the remainder of the project.

Because most of the state funding was not available immediately, a bridge loan was provided by the Open Space Institute (OSI), which supports land acquisitions by local conservation groups along the East Coast, with a focus on the Southern Appalachian Mountains. OSI’s Southern Appalachians Protection Fund was created to help accelerate the protection of wildlife habitat throughout the Southern Appalachians a 40 million-acre ecosystem that is home to the richest biodiversity in North America. Since 2005, OSI has invested $12.4 million in conservation in the region, leading to the protection of 6,082 acres to date, including 2,845 in North Carolina.

“We are pleased to have helped CTNC with the protection of the Rose Creek property,” said Peter Howell, OSI’s executive vice president. “The project will help protect an important part of North Carolina’s mountainous heritage, for both wildlife and people. By helping to implement North Carolina’s State Wildlife Action Plan, the project helps to focus scarce public and private dollars on what is most important to protect.”

The property is home to a variety of native wildlife, and is recognized as a conservation priority in the state’s Wildlife Action Plan, a strategy developed to guide habitat protection efforts across North Carolina. Also, Rose Creek, Little Rose Creek and the North Toe River are trout streams as designated by NC Division of Water Quality.

The Rose Creek property includes 353 acres of stream buffers, encompassing more than 1.5 miles of Little Rose Creek and its associated tributaries and almost a mile of Rose Creek and associated tributaries. Rose and Little Rose Creeks are major headwater tributaries of the North Toe River, which supplies drinking water to the town of Spruce Pine.

The Rose Creek project spans two focus areas of the Blue Ridge Forever coalition’s conservation vision: the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Upper Linville River-North Fork focus areas. Blue Ridge Forever is an alliance of 10 North Carolina land trusts (including CTNC) and three national conservation organizations dedicated to protecting the state's mountain landscapes.

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