Land trust seeks county support for 80-acre Camp Sequoia conservation easement

Michelle, a land-protection staffer with SAHC, told the Local Conservation Advisory Board that SAHC is proposing to expand an existing conservation easement on roughly 80 acres of the Camp Sequoia property near Weaverville and asked Buncombe County to partner on purchase and transaction costs.

The presentation described the property’s conservation and historic values, mapped two noncontiguous existing easement parcels and two proposed expansion areas, and outlined a financing plan. Michelle said the materials estimate per-acre value for the portion under discussion at about $12,000 per acre and put the current market value of that portion at roughly $960,000. SAHC estimates the easement value at about 60% of that market value but said the landowners have negotiated a 50% purchase of the easement; SAHC proposed paying $288,000 toward the easement purchase and asked the county to cover that 50% share plus any portion of the estimated transaction costs the county can absorb.

"This project is an expansion of the existing conservation easement that SAHC holds on the Camp Sequoia property in Weaverville," Michelle said during her presentation.

She said the owners, Debbie Sinex and Klaus Kroger, plan to place a bequest in their will for the fee‑simple portion of the property and that, to avoid the doctrine of merger, SAHC would prefer to assign the conservation easement to Buncombe County while SAHC would hold fee ownership after a bequest or other transfer. Michelle characterized the proposed assignment as a future possibility and not a current, binding arrangement.

Michelle outlined stewardship finances as well: SAHC expects to create an initial stewardship endowment of about $500,000 (the landowners and alumni are expected to contribute), and estimated transaction costs around $95,000. She said SAHC would seek a private donor to cover approximately $34,000 of those transaction costs. "All of that $288,000, they are going to put into an endowment," Michelle said.

Board members asked about wildfire risk and storm damage from Hurricane Helene. Michelle said SAHC’s stewardship team has been consulting on how to balance debris removal, habitat retention and wildfire mitigation, and that site access and monitoring have become more challenging after storm damage.

Board members also discussed stewardship demands for the cluster of cabins on the property and whether easement language should allow restoration for historic preservation but prevent future residential use or utility extensions to the cabins. Michelle said the easement language will be drafted to allow historic-preservation work but not to permit future residences or utility extensions.

The board set a site visit for June 24 at 1 p.m., with an alternate visit on June 23 to accommodate additional members. Michelle provided the meeting point as 291 Blackberry Inn Road and said the owners could offer a side‑by‑side vehicle to help participants access the property.

SAHC staff said they expect to get land-protection committee review and then board approval by the end of the month, to enter an option agreement afterward and to move toward a closing in early to mid-2027. Michelle emphasized that, even if the owners’ bequest did not materialize, SAHC would still pursue the easement purchase.

The meeting’s discussion was procedural and informational; no formal board vote on the easement was recorded in the transcript. The next steps are the scheduled site visit and SAHC’s follow-up about board approval, option agreement and matching funds.