From the Conservation Trust for North Carolina:
The Cliffs Communities, through its philanthropic entity Parkland Trust, is marking the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a $10,000 donation to help protect land and water along the scenic road.
The gift was made to the Blue Ridge Forever coalition of 10 mountain land trusts including CTNC. The Parkway is one of the priority focus areas in Blue Ridge Forever’s Conservation Vision for Western North Carolina and its five-year campaign to protect 50,000 acres by the end of this year.
“This is quite literally our backyard, and we have a responsibility to protect this magnificent land,” said Jim Anthony, founder and president of The Cliffs Communities. “We are truly excited to be partnering with local land trusts to protect the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a local treasure that brings national attention and millions of families from around the nation to Western North Carolina each year.”
Blue Ridge Forever coalition members decided to use the gift to help finance CTNC’s Roaring Fork Headwaters project near Cumberland Knob. CTNC bought the 48.7-acre tract last summer from Mike Carson of Gainesville, Ga., who agreed to sell at a steep discount in order to assure the land would be forever protected. The Cliffs’ gift will help make it possible for CTNC to transfer the property to the National Park Service.
Read more about the purchase of Roaring Fork Headwaters.
“This gift is a critical boost to our Parkway protection efforts,” CTNC Executive Director Reid Wilson said. “As government funding becomes scarcer due to the economic downturn, we depend upon the generosity of private individuals and businesses, such as The Cliffs, to help us protect the places we all love.”
