Land trusts surpass land conservation goal
Eight area land trusts protected a collective 8,598 acres in 2019, equivalent to 13.43 square miles, bringing the total protected since 2016 to 30,478 acres.
Strong performance in 2019 means that the coalition has surpassed its five-year goal of 20,000 acres protected early. The goal was to protect 20,000 acres between 2016 and 2020, but 2019 left the organization 10,478 acres ahead of that original aim.
The acreage was protected as part of 57 different projects, with 1,644 acres protected through conservation easements and the remaining 6,954 acres protected through outright purchase. Funding for these acquisitions totaled $33.1 million, $19.7 million of which came from public funds such as state and federal grants. The remaining $13.4 million came from private funds such as loans, donations and private grants.
Of the properties, 11 will be managed for farmland, 47 to promote habitat for rare species, 51 to boost riparian buffers and water quality, 17 for public access and seven for historical or cultural purposes.
The data was compiled by the Blue Ridge Forever Coalition, which includes the Blue Ridge Conservancy, Conservation Trust for N.C., Foothills Conservancy of N.C., Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, Mainspring Conservation Trust, New River Conservancy, RiverLink and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.
