New federal grant will preserve byways land
Source: The Watauga Democrat, by Scott Nicholson
December 03, 2007
The federal government has ponied up a quarter of million dollars to help preserve land along designated scenic byways.
Ten land trusts have jointly been awarded a $252,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration to help preserve land along 560 miles of North Carolina’s scenic highways. The preservation effort will focus on 27 scenic byways, more than half of the scenic byways in the state, in 37 North Carolina counties.
Locally, the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust and High Country Conservancy received portions of the grant money. BRRLT executive director James Coman said his portion would be used to provide transaction costs for a stretch in Wilkes County in the Upper Yadkin Valley.
“We already have four easements on these scenic byways,” Coman said. “This grant will help us cover costs at basically no cost to the owner. It’s not enough to buy an easement, but fortunately we’re far enough along to use this on projects.”
The land protection effort will accompany development of heritage tourism activities, ensuring the protection of some of North Carolina’s most scenic landscapes and the marketability of the byways as tourism corridors.
High Country Conservancy’s executive director, Teresa Buckwalter, said it was unusual for a federal agency to provide conservation funds to land trusts, but she attributed the combined effort of all the land trusts as a deciding factor. “When so many land trusts come together, it can make a big impact statewide,” she said.
The HCC is focusing on outreach and seeking landowners and volunteers as part of its grant spending. It’s particularly focusing on the N.C. 194 section of Valle Crucis where it has already secured several significant easements. Buckwalter said the N.C. 194 section connecting Watauga and Ashe counties is another area of interest, along with the “Little Parkway” section of N.C. 221 that runs alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Doc Watson Highway section of U.S. 421 is also a designated scenic byway.
The land trusts will use the funds to identify, map, and prioritize key parcels of land for conservation as well as conduct outreach to landowners, local governments and the public with information about land conservation options.
The land trusts will also create a plan for continued management and protection of the resources, but each gets flexibility in how it uses the funds.
“Land trusts are an excellent way to protect the future viability of North Carolina’s Scenic Byways as increasing population and development continue to affect our landscapes,” Jeff Lackey, state coordinator of the N.C. Department of Transportation Scenic Byways Program, said.
“This effort will help preserve and promote some of North Carolina’s most distinctive roads.”
