[Bristol-Birds] Status of Rocky Fork

Hello area birders,

Below is an email I received from Judy Murray (on behalf of Cheryl Fowler - 
operations director of the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy) 
concerning the large tract of land half way between Johnson City, TN and 
Asheville, NC known as Rocky Fork.  

Rocky Fork is an important area for birds and bird watching in Tennessee.

There is good news for the wildlife there as the USFS (United States Forest 
Service) has made Rocky Fork the #1 national priority for land acquisition.  
Also, Rocky is in the running for a $3,000 Grant to further help the important 
tract of undeveloped land.  Details are below on what web site to visit to 
vote.  So vote Rocky Fork! 

Rob Biller
Elizabethton, TN

PS - On the web page (I just voted) there is a place called Pond Mountain.  
This is the mountain in Ashe County, NC -- NOT the mountain in Hampton, TN.
__________________________________________________

Vote for a chance for SAHC to win a $3,000 grant for Rocky Fork

In an effort to raise awareness of the great projects that land trusts are 
doing across the state in support of Land Trust Day, the Great Outdoor 
Provision Company has launched a Land Trust Day competition. They are 
highlighting seven projects from seven different land trusts that are in need 
of protection. Patagonia has agreed to the underwriting of a $3,000 grant to go 
towards the winning land trust project. The winning project will be announced 
on Land Trust Day, June 7th.

ROCKY FORK is the project that SAHC submitted. For those of you that may not be 
familiar, here is the latest news:
------

 


“To say this is a pleasant surprise would be an understatement.” That’s the 
word from Executive Director Carl Silverstein upon hearing the news that SAHC’s 
Rocky Fork project is now ranked as the #1 national priority for acquisition by 
the US Forest Service.  “We were pretty excited last year when Rocky Fork 
ranked as the top USFS priority in the region,” Silverstein continues, “but to 
work on the top project in the nation, as a conservationist, it just doesn’t 
get any better than that.”

Nor does it get any more challenging. The 10,000 acre Rocky Fork tract has been 
eyed by conservationists and developers alike for years because of its size, 
its connection to 22,000 acres of protected land and its sheer scenic beauty.  
“This tract is going to become the favorite place of the next generation of 
Appalachian Trail users and outdoor enthusiasts,” says Jay Leutze, an SAHC 
board member who has traveled to Washington DC four times in the last year to 
lobby for federal funds for the acquisition.  “For fly-fishing, hiking, 
mountain-bike riding, bird-watching and more, this vast land is going to add a 
critical link to decades of successful land protection. Purchasing it to give 
it to the public is just the right thing to do for locals, and for the people 
of the United States.”

 Situated 34 miles from Asheville, NC, and 34 miles from Johnson City, TN, 
astride the new I-26 highway, the $40 million dollar tract stands on what might 
have been the next frontier of large-scale high-end development.  Instead, 
SAHC’s partner, The Conservation Fund, has secured the site with an option to 
buy the entire tract.  “Getting site security on the entire parcel, having the 
land under contract, is key,” Silverstein adds.  “But closing the deal will 
still take a monumental effort involving private, state and federal dollars.”  

It is not too much of a stretch to say that the top conservation project in the 
country will require the top fund-raising effort, too.  “SAHC grows every 
year,” says Leutze.  “Our members want to know that we are capable of 
protecting the landscapes we all cherish.  As a result we’ve gotten very 
strategic about pursuing our priorities, increased our capacity through 
partnerships and member-drives, and worked at building relationships from 
Asheville to Nashville, and all the way to Capitol Hill.”  Silverstein adds 
this: “We won’t celebrate until the deal is closed, but we’re confident that 
the work we’ve done on Rocky Fork is going to pay off.”   
--------

Below is GOPC’s website page with the Land Trust Day project competition 
descriptions.   

VOTE FOR ROCKY FORK!
http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/culture/wesupport/patagonia-land-grant/


Cheryl Fowler
Operations Director
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
828-253-0095, ext. 200
34 Wall Street, Ste. 502
Asheville, NC  28801
--
Rob Biller
Elizabethton, TN
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