In 1995, the Watauga Land Trust, a non-profit 501(c)(3), was founded by a group of Appalachian State University students concerned with protecting Howard’s Knob from encroaching development.

Forming the prominent ridge overlooking downtown Boone, Howard’s Knob had come to figure importantly into the lives of local residents and students who saw it and visited it every day. A Watauga County park located at the Knob’s summit offered incredible 360 degree views of Boone and the surrounding mountains, and the natural areas surrounding the park offered fantastic recreational opportunities for the hiker and rock climber. Like so many other mountain ridges in the area, people didn’t want to lose another mountain top to inappropriate development.

The energy and effort given to protecting Howard’s Knob raised local awareness about the unprecedented pace of development not just around Boone, but across North Carolina’s Appalachian mountains. It was soon apparent that the need for conservation was urgent throughout the High Country region. Land was being lost forever, and along with it the unique and irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage of Appalachia.

Farmers were losing land that had been in their family for generations. The streams and rivers from which we drink weren’t being adequately protected. Unique and rare plants and animals were suffering or disappearing altogether, along with their habitats. And the open, natural spaces where we all go to renew ourselves were being threatened too.

All these concerns galvanized the members and the mission of the Watauga Land Trust, and began a new stage of development and organization. In 1997, the Watauga Land Trust reorganized and changed their name to High Country Conservancy (HCC), expanding their services to include Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. The land trust’s efforts would now have to meet the needs of a much wider geographical area, and an even broader vision.

From 1997 to 2001, a dedicated group of volunteers carried HCC through its first land protection successes, including the 13-acre Dutch Creek easement, Junaluska Natural Area, and the Tater Hill Mountain Bog. The Mayview Madness 5k Race, still a popular High Country event, was also started around this time as fund raiser for HCC.

In 2001, HCC hired its first paid staff person, ushering in a period of positive growth for the organization that continues today. Serving as HCC’s Executive Director from 2001-2005, Marla Wilson’s dedication and efforts brought an increased number of land projects, along with greatly increased community recognition. Marla developed HCC’s outreach program by implementing successful individual and corporate membership initiatives, boosting HCC’s publicity in local news outlets, and organizing community events that celebrated conservation like the Annual Membership Gathering and the Annual Winetasting and Auction at the Gamekeeper. HCC’s land protection program grew immensely and the completion of significant projects like the 65-acre Taylor Family Farm project in 2002, the 132-acre Snake Mountain easement in 2003, the 73-acre Valle Crucis Conference Center Open Fields easement and the 21.6-acre Cooper Family easement in Valle Crucis in 2004, and the 232-acre Craborchard Creek easement in 2005—all garnered the organization greater recognition and support from the High Country region.

Since 2005, thanks in large part to the skill of new land protection staff, the roster of HCC’s land protection projects has grown substantially.

In collaboration with a developer, HCC continued its land protection work in Valle Crucis, protecting the scenic Mission Ridge in 2006. Highly visible from the historic “upper valley” of Valle Crucis, Mission Ridge overlooks two of HCC’s conservation projects: the Taylor Family Farm fields and the Valle Crucis Conference Center Open Fields. Protecting a Dutch Creek tributary, a healthy northern hardwood forest, and the immeasurable scenic values for High Country visitors and locals alike, conserving this land was possible only through the immense support of the Valle Crucis community.

Also in 2006, HCC brought the important High Haven conservation easement to a close. Near Newland, in Avery County, this generously donated conservation easement protected 100 acres of land, along with a globally imperiled Southern Appalachian bog containing rare plant and animal species.

In 2007, HCC began a fruitful relationship with Elk Knob State Park, a conservation partnership that continues to benefit not only the High Country, but all citizens of North Carolina to this day. The 65-acre Rittle Knob project, which protected the entire picturesque summit of Rittle Knob, was the first tract HCC purchased and transferred to State Parks. Later that same year, HCC purchased Yount Memorial Park which was later transfered to Elk Knob State Park. This 26-acre tract, located on the steep slopes of Snake Mountain, protects dramatic views of surrounding peaks as well as headwater streams for the New River.

2008 was HCC’s most successful year ever, with a total of 15 completed projects totaling 703 acres of permanently protected land in North Carolina’s High Country. Among the many highlights, HCC alone spearheaded land acquisition efforts for the creation of a new State Natural Area, Bear Paw, along Hanging Rock Ridge at the headwaters of Dutch Creek; in partnership with Elk Knob State Park, HCC also completed four more projects adding 62 acres to the park, protecting scenic views and valuable access points; HCC remaining committed to farmland protection too, bringing the 95-acre Wellspring Farm conservation easement to a close; and, finally, HCC once again conserved land in partnership with the Banner Family, bringing the total to 132 acres of land protected along the North Toe River in Banner Valley.

Today, HCC is in a new office in downtown Boone, at the base of Howard’s Knob, where it all began. Thanks to the steadfast commitment of its members and supporters—as well as partnerships with other regional and national conservation organizations, state agencies and state parks, and the goodwill and forward-thinking vision of area farmers, conservation developers and other private land owners—HCC is one of western North Carolina’s most successful and well-known local land trusts.

With your support, 2009 promises to be another year of successful conservation for HCC. With the size, number and, significance of our conservation projects continuing to grow, your investment in HCC is a sound investment in the future of our mountain region. Thank you for your interest in our story, and thank you for helping us Save the Places You Love in the High Country.

Be a part of the High Country Conservancy story and join us today!