The 322-acre donation, with 2 miles of river frontage in Caldwell County, will expand the National Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek area
Caldwell County, North Carolina
Earth Day 2021: Foothills Conservancy announces a gift of a 322-acre tract within the corridor of the National Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek in Caldwell County. This “puzzle piece” in the Wilson Creek conservation assemblage was donated to Foothills Conservancy by longtime environmental steward and conservation philanthropist Tim Sweeney. The donation fills in a missing segment of protected public lands along the river, bordered on three sides by the Pisgah National Forest System.
Now in the hands of the land trust, with plans to transfer the property to the U.S. Forest Service in the future, it forever ensures this section of forest and highly significant watershed is protected, conserved and accessible for public recreation opportunities.
“Starting back in 2006, Foothills Conservancy and its public and private partners began conserving land and water in the Wilson Creek watershed,” said Andrew Kota, executive director of Foothills Conservancy. “Since that time, we’ve protected over 850 acres and 5 miles of the river for public access and public use. Our efforts here kind of culminate in this most recent project, which was made possible by this generous gift.”
The property includes 2.3 miles of river segment that is designated for recreation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. For many years, this section has been highly popular with river recreationists for its fishing, swimming and whitewater boating sites. The section of Wilson Creek that runs through this property not only supports access to downstream whitewater rafting, canoeing and kayaking with challenging Class II-V rapids, it also boasts beautiful, cascading waterfalls and contains the trailhead for the 6-mile Wilson Creek Trail, which connects to other popular trails in the area.
“This area has been very special to me and has provided me with countless days of fishing for the last 35 years,” said Morganton resident Squeak Smith. An avid fisherman, environmental activist and retired U.S. Air Force veteran, Smith agreed to speak about the significance of the property and its waters prior to the donation announcement, chatting with Foothills Conservancy staff in his waders from the banks of Wilson Creek.
“When I first moved here from California, I started exploring,” looking for new places to fish, he explained. “So it didn’t take long to look on a map and think, ‘Wow. What’s going on up there?’ I took a drive through the gorge, and it was just phenomenal. The scenery is beautiful, the rock formations, the river — it was unbelievable. I’ve lived all over the world, I’ve fished all over the world, and I moved here specifically for the fishing. It’s a very unique place, and it’s right in my backyard.”
To fishermen, Wilson Creek is a coveted, tranquil place to spend a day catching rainbow, brown and brook trout. To families, residents and visitors of the region, it’s a place for soaking up the sunshine on a picnic — or taking a refreshing dip on a warm summer day.
To conservationists, though, Wilson Creek is known for more than just its popularity among outdoor enthusiasts. This land is also environmentally significant for its natural and cultural resource value.
“Essentially, all the water that comes down from Grandfather Mountain funnels through Wilson Creek,” said Nicholas Larson, district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service’s Grandfather Ranger District. “And the water quality along Wilson Creek is incredibly valuable, not only for the phenomenal trout fisheries and the recreational value that clean water provides — but also for the biota here, the rare species occurring just in this section of river.”
The tract along the river contains habitat for the brook floater, an at-risk, endangered species of freshwater river mussel. It is also home to the significantly rare Edmund’s snaketail dragonfly and the seagreen darter freshwater fish. Sightings of several vulnerable and significantly rare animal and plant species have also been recorded within a one-mile radius of the property as well.
“The lands that we currently administer here for the national forest are a two-mile section just below where we’re standing right now,” Larson explained, standing just above the riverbank on the newly acquired property. “That area, though, is a gorge — it’s really quite limited, access-wise. This property will allow us to facilitate people coming into the woods, providing easy access to the water without the danger of rapids, and just quite frankly the ability to park vehicles so that folks can get out into the forest and into the river.”
Additionally, the improved access to both the national forest and river will allow emergency management services to conduct quicker, more direct rescue efforts in the area, especially in times of heavy recreational use when other access points may become overcrowded with visitors.
“This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic played a huge role in both heightening and highlighting the need for more public lands and outdoor recreation opportunities in North Carolina — and this Wilson Creek property is one of those very natural treasures, as one of only five designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the entire state,” Kota said. “It’s critically important for groups like Foothills Conservancy and our federal, state and private partners to protect as much land and water in this watershed as possible. Not only for the aquatic and terrestrial habitat protections, but for public use — offering people opportunities to improve their mental and physical well-being and health and to improve our quality of life in general.”
Original Article at https://www.foothillsconservancy.org/news2/wilson-creek-property-donated-to-foothills-conservancy-of-north-carolina