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Foothills Conservancy seeks endorsement for 12,000‑acre Hickory Nut Mountain conservation project
Summary
Foothills Conservancy asked McDowell County commissioners on March 10 to endorse a plan to conserve about 12,000 acres near Old Fort and to provide a letter supporting grant applications for acquisition and trail development.
Representatives of Foothills Conservancy asked the Board of Commissioners on March 10 to endorse a proposed conservation and public‑access project called Hickory Nut Mountain, a roughly 12,000‑acre tract near Old Fort they hope will become a new state park and wildlife lands.
Michael Gaffney, representing Foothills Conservancy, said the tract lies at the meeting of the Blue Ridge escarpment and the South Mountains and would be divided after acquisition: about 8,000 acres to the state parks system and roughly 3,000 acres to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The organization said it has secured about $5 million so far from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund and the Complete the Trails Fund and has submitted additional federal and state grant applications, including a $27 million Forest Legacy request to the U.S. Forest Service.
Gaffney said the site would host about 30 miles of the Wilderness Gateway State Trail and protect 49 miles of streams, including 12 considered major tributaries. He emphasized potential economic benefits from outdoor recreation, citing regional studies that tie trail systems to spending in western North Carolina. “It’s a historic conservation project,” he told the board, and requested a letter of support to accompany pending funding applications.
Commissioners voted to endorse the grant application and provide a letter of support; the motion passed by voice vote. Commissioners discussed hunting access and wildlife management, which the conservancy said would be addressed through the split with the Wildlife Resources Commission. No county expenditure was requested at the meeting; the conservancy asked only for a support letter.
Why it matters: If funded and acquired, the project would create public access and long‑term protection for a large contiguous tract of forestland, add trail mileage to an authorized state trail and contribute water‑quality protections for multiple streams.
Next steps: The conservancy will proceed with its grant applications; county staff will provide the requested letter of support.
