Rose Creek land along BRP now state property

Hikers, hunters and others who enjoy North Carolina’s mountain landscapes will soon have access to 534 acres of gameland and a national historic trail that are accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Spruce Pine.

The Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) recently conveyed the Rose Creek property to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC). CTNC purchased the property in 2008 from a developer based in Texas.

“The Rose Creek property’s proximity to other lands protected for conservation means plenty of room for wildlife to persist,” said WRC Executive Director Gordon Myers. “Opening this tract to the public will be a great opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy the unique beauty of North Carolina’s mountain landscape and the wide range of activities that can be enjoyed there.”

The Mitchell County property has well over a mile of frontage on the Blue Ridge Parkway between mileposts 326 and 328, and includes about 1.3 miles of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, which will be opened to the public once it is cleared and posted.

The Overmountain Victory Trail (OVT) traces the route taken by colonial militiamen to the pivotal Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution. The trail, which passes through four states, is a unit of the National Park Service, which estimates that about 1 million people hike public sections of the OVT each year.

In the past four years, CTNC has protected three properties that contain sections of the OVT, purchasing Rose Creek and the 101-acre Jackson Knob Cove tract, and facilitating the state’s acquisition of a conservation agreement on a 1,488-acre property owned by CSX railroad.

The property will be managed by the WRC subject to an agreement among the commission, CTNC and the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund to ensure public access, water quality protection and sound wildlife habitat management.

For more information on this land exchange, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com