TU Helps Protect the North Mills

UPDATE (May 2011): in the summer of 2010, TU grassroots members, chapters and councils raised $30,000 in just four weeks to secure the Big Creek Lodge property along the North Mills River.

One of the region's best trout streams can finally be conserved and kept in the public trust. Private access and development issues will be off the table.

The future of delayed harvest management on the North Mills will be secured with your help.  

Your contributions were essential. Our partners are willing to shoulder a significant burden, but TU's participation in securing the initial funds was key.

The Property: In the last years, the Big Creek Lodge property has been a constant worry for local anglers. An~80 acre in-holding in the Pisgah National Forest on the North Mills River, it holds key access to upper sections of the river for both angling and stocking (see maps). Previous owners have proposed a variety of development schemes that would dramatically impact the river's health and limit public access for fishing.  The future of the delayed harvest fisheries management for the entire section would also be put at risk if the property were developed.

A change in ownership has given us the opportunity to protect the Big Creek Lodge property. TU is working with the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy  to secure the undeveloped portions of the tract now with the goal of re-selling to the Forest Service in FY 2012. CMLC has asked TU to cover the costs to secure the property (via option contract or down payment).

What is the current status?  We are currently working on two fronts.  First, we are finalizing the property survey and completing the initial real-estate transaction that secures the property.  We expect to complete this step in the spring of 2011.  Second, we are engaging in advocacy work in Washington, DC to assure availability of funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund is essential for the Forest Service's eventual purchase of the property in 2012.  North Carolina's elected officials have been on board with this effort, but there will much work to do in the coming months.

What can you do: Participate in TU's Action Alerts on federal funding issues. Sign up for alerts today. Contact Damon Hearne, SE Land Protection Coordinator, to sign up for help with funding advocacy when the time comes.

TU's funds will work twice for coldwater: When the property is sold to the Forest Service, the funds will be recovered and re-invested in TU's regional Coldwater Land Conservancy Fund.

Download the maps.

Questions?
Contact Damon Hearne, SE Land Protection Coordinator | dhearne@tu.org | 828.398.0177