The conservation organizations are embarking on a five-year campaign called “Blue Ridge Forever” that seeks to protect 50,000 acres of critical land and water resources in the Southern Blue Ridge by 2010.

“This is an exciting initiative that will combine the strengths of conservation organizations already working in the region to save more of Western North Carolina’s best remaining places for future generations,” said Carl Silverstein, executive director of Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. “The special places we protect or lose this decade will determine the character of our landscape forever.”

The southern Blue Ridge Mountains contain some of North Carolina’s most outstanding natural resources and are one of the world’s most ecologically significant areas. The region’s natural lands provide clean drinking water to millions of residents in the Southeast, shelter for more than 300 rare species and natural communities, and help generate more than $2 billion a year in tourism revenue for Western North Carolina. The region’s working forests and farms support local economies and form the backdrop for one of the country’s richest historical and cultural landscapes.

The Southern Blue Ridge Mountain region is losing its land and water resources at an unprecedented rate, however. Population growth and a booming vacation and retirement home market are fueling rapid development of some of the area’s most important natural lands. The rapid conversion of land is threatening water quality, wildlife habitat, scenic landscapes and traditional livelihoods.

In the last two decades, developed land in the Southern Blue Ridge increased by 77 percent. Experts believe that the current rate of land protection in the region must accelerate to meet the challenge. Otherwise, the region’s most critical land and water resources will be lost to development and will be prohibitively expensive to acquire.

“Through this grant, the Community Foundation is supporting many organizations that work to preserve and protect important lands in our mountain region,” stated Pat Smith, president of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, in a press release. “We are pleased to fund this collaborative partnership that will raise awareness of land trusts and streamline fundraising efforts.”

Blue Ridge Forever will use the $25,000 grant to raise public awareness and support for critical land and water protection in the region. The partners are also developing a strategic regional conservation plan, which will guide them in working with landowners who wish to voluntarily protect their land. The partners are seeking significant funding for acquisition of land and conservation agreements.

“The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee is grateful to the Community Foundation for supporting this regional effort to protect our precious mountains,” said Paul Carlson, executive director of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. “Along with the support of our other funding partners, we can collectively begin to expand our individual capacities to protect our last remaining farmland, working forests, and at-risk conservation lands.”

Blue Ridge Forever also receives funding from Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Merck Family Fund, Lyndhurst Foundation and the Land Trust Alliance. Partners of Blue Ridge Forever include nine local land trusts, which have a long history of working with landowners in the region: Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, High Country Conservancy, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, National Committee for the New River, and Pacolet Area Conservancy. Other members include the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, an umbrella association of the state’s 23 land trusts, and three national conservation organizations, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, and The Conservation Fund. The partners plan to reach out to both public and private groups interested in protecting the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.