This Land, Your Land

The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy is under contract to buy an 8,000-acre tract in Transylvania County that it eventually wants to sell to the state, in order to allow public access, Blue Ridge Now reported earlier this month.

The Conservancy will pay the family of former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor $33 million, 40 to 50 percent less than the appraised value of the land.

It is one of the largest single tracts of private land in Western North Carolina, and is described as pristine and mostly level with large open meadows and numerous water features. The endangered green salamander can be found on the land.

"The forested tract, home to native brook trout, extensive timber resources, rare bogs and stunning waterfalls (see below) encompasses most of the pristine headwaters and main stem of the East Fork of the French Broad River," the Conservancy says in a news release.

"One of the significant features of the tract is Sassafras Mountain," Blue Ridge Now says. "The conserved tract occupies the northern end of the mountain, which is the highest point in South Carolina. It is bordered by the Jocassee Gorges Management Area, Greenville Watershed and the Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve in South Carolina."

A section of the 80-mile Foothills Trail also runs through the tract.

Conservancy Executive Director Kieran Roe said the tract would most likely fall under the authority of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and become a game land.

"The acquisition ... will open up over 50 miles of streams teeming with rainbow, brown, and the elusive Southern Appalachian-strain of brook trout, the region’s only native trout," the news release says.

The Conservancy is "seeking private funding sources to purchase the property and has submitted a $5.4 million application to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Roe, however, understands that getting money from the state could be challenging," Blue Ridge Now says.