Project Update and Grant Funding Award
Aerial photo of Deaverview Mountain by Gary Hurley, Carolinas Nature Photographers Association (CNPA)
This fall, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced NC Land and Water Fund grant awards totaling over $45 million to protect North Carolina’s land and water from the mountains to the coast. Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy was awarded $4.37 million towards the conservation of Deaverview Mountain! Located just outside the city limits of Asheville, this 343-acre mountaintop contains high quality forest, important headwater streams, and one-of-a-kind views of Asheville and the surrounding mountain ranges. SAHC is partnering with Buncombe County to acquire the land and later transform it into the county’s largest public park. SAHC has three years to raise the funds to purchase the land and ensure its permanent protection, with estimated purchase costs around $8.8 million.
“This property holds personal significance for me as a resident who has spent time on the mountain over the years,” says Land Protection Director Michelle Pugliese. “We would not have reached this extraordinary position without our partners at the NC Land and Water Fund. The continued support of our state’s elected officials and the NC Land and Water Fund’s staff and board have been a pivotal key to unlock meaningful conservation across the state. We are grateful for the ongoing vision that makes this fund possible.”
French Broad River Valley Focus Area
Deaverview Mountain
Photo by Bill Richards, CNPA
Future Pisgah View State Park Update
In November, the state of NC completed the last stage in the planned purchase of over 1,500 acres for Pisgah View State Park, the first state park to be designated in Buncombe County! “Five years ago three members of the Cogburn family sat down in SAHC’s office on Merrimon Avenue,” recalls Jay Leutze, SAHC’s Senior Advisor to the Board. “We walked out of that room with the bones of a deal. SAHC would work with the state of North Carolina to raise the funds to purchase Photo by Guy Hoagland, CNPA Pisgah View Ranch from the Cogburns. The state of NC has bought the last few acres specified in the contract – a year earlier than our rosiest projections. Step one was to buy the land, and this was a monumental task. Now we can look forward to the creation of this breathtaking park and its facilities. There are too many heroes on a big project like this to name them all here, but stay tuned for future updates!” Land Protection Updates | 2023 Vol. 2 View from the Highlands | 19
