Highlands of Roan Focus Area
Belview Mountain
Views from the Appalachian Trail The 151-acre tract on Belview Mountain is visible from vantage points along the AT on Hump Mountain.
You have helped create a new nature preserve in the Highlands of Roan, which will permanently protect 151 more acres of mountain habitat and clean streams. It is very near other SAHC nature preserves and a 24,000-acre network of public lands! The new preserve is on Belview Mountain, and provides habitat for diverse amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, contributing to climate resilience in an important wildlife connectivity corridor.
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New Conservation Property Other SAHC Preserves / Easements US Forest Service State (NC or TN) owned Land Other Protected Land
6 | View from the Highlands 2021 Vol. 3
Tucked away in the rugged mountains of Avery County, near the communities of Elk Park, Cranberry, and Minneapolis, distinguished NC State Forestry professor and tree geneticist Bruce Zobel invested in a legacy for his children — one of rocks and dirt and living organisms rather than paper stocks. Now, his children have secured that legacy for future generations to enjoy — for natural communities to prosper and for hiking enthusiasts to enjoy protected views from the Appalachian Trail, for years to come. Landowners Julie Zobel and Kathy Ball sold 151 acres to SAHC on Belview Mountain, for SAHC to own and manage for the long term as a nature preserve. The property reaches elevations of 4,400 ft. and can be seen from the Appalachian Trail on Hump Mountain. It boasts 10 headwater tributaries and the main branch of Cranberry Creek. | Land Protection Updates
The pristine creek waters support populations of wild trout. “This is an enormous win for conservation, and we hope to work with other landowners to preserve the rest of this iconic mountain,” says Land Protection Director Michelle Pugliese. “This property adjoins the site of the proposed gravel mine that was the subject of Jay Leutze’s book Stand Up That Mountain. Like the proposed mine that was defeated, development of this property would have degraded views from the Appalachian Trail.” The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) awarded SAHC a $50,000 grant to help SAHC purchase the new preserve. The ATC Wild East Action Fund seeks to accelerate the pace of conservation within the Appalachian Trail landscape. The acquisition was made possible also through generous gifts from other SAHC philanthropic donors.
