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Blue Ridge Conservancy Purchases 80 Acres of Land in Ashe County

By Nathan Ham

The Blue Ridge Conservancy added another 80 acres to the over 20,000 acres of land that they have already protected to preserve the beautiful natural areas that the High Country has to offer.

According to Nikki Robinson, the Communications and Outreach Associate for the Blue Ridge Conservancy, the 80-acre purchase on Three Top Mountain in Clifton was made for $300,000. The property is on the southeastern slope of Three Top Mountain and is adjacent to a 135-acre parcel of land that the conservancy purchased in July of 2018.

The non-profit organization has worked tirelessly to protect land in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties as well as working hard to continue the Middle Fork Greenway Project between Blowing Rock and Boone. Other projects that the Blue Ridge Conservancy has been involved in include the state natural areas of Beech Creek Bog, Bear Paw, Tater Hill Bog, Three Top Mountain Game Land, Valle Crucis Community Park, J. Douglas Williams Park in Sugar Mountain and Bullhead Mountain in addition to the 3,600-acre game land preserve on Pond Mountain in Ashe County.

With the purchase of this new land being so recent, the future for the land is unknown at this time.

“At this moment, the conservancy does not have plans for adding public access. However, conserving the land protects this ecologically rich area from development and provides excellent wildlife habitat,” said Robinson.

The Blue Ridge Conservancy was formed in 2010.