Land conservation win: Grandfather Mountain State Park in WNC grows by 24 acres

Grandfather Mountain State Park, the rugged and rustic park at the mountainous region of Avery, Caldwell and Watauga counties, is growing by 24 acres.

The newly acquired land, which includes the headwater springs of the Watauga River, has been added with the help of nonprofit land trust Blue Ridge Conservancy, bringing the state park's total acreage to 2,480.

The park, about 13 miles southwest of Boone with access points along the Blue Ridge Parkway, has 13 miles of hiking trails that connect to the Asutsi Trail and the Tanawha Trail and has spaces for backpack tent camping.

In addition to the springs, the land contains two significant ecosystems, a northern hardwood forest and a high-elevation red oak forest, which add to the park's already globally recognized ecological diversity. Funding for the property, which closed for $330,000 on Jan. 11, came jointly from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, according to Blue Ridge Conservancy spokesperson Leila Jackson.

"Land protection in the Greater Grandfather Mountain Conservation Area has long been a priority of Blue Ridge Conservancy," she said. "We are thrilled to work with the longtime owner of this property to add protected acreage to this fragile and significant ecological area."

The Berry family owned the 24 acres for more than 100 years, and the most recent owner, Butch Berry, said in a Blue Ridge Conservancy news release that he did not want to see the land go to developers.

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"When I built the home I’m living in now, I realized my dream of moving back up here. I didn’t realize I would totally fall in love with this place," he said in the release. “When I approached BRC and (Executive Director) Charlie Brady I found the perfect solution; I could sell it to someone who would care as much about this land as I do. My grandfather Hardy Berry purchased this property in 1921 and I’m positive that he would be happy that it will be taken care of."

Berry currently lives on the adjoining property, Jackson told the Citizen Times.

The Blue Ridge Conservancy has been looking at this land since at least 2016 as a priority for conservation, she said, and the 24 acres were also identified as a part of the Grandfather Mountain State Park acquisition plan. According to N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation spokesperson Katie Hall, the land will help to buffer the park against encroaching development.

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"We greatly appreciate the generosity, support and partnership from the Blue Ridge Conservancy, the Parks and Recreation Authority, and the Land and Water Fund along with our legislators and Governor who have been so generous in supporting these funds," she said in an email.

In the Blue Ridge Conservancy's news release, Executive Director of the Land and Water Fund Will Summer said the property will also help the ecology of the park, which is classified as a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve.

"Expanding conservation in the highlands around Grandfather Mountain supports the resilience of high elevation forests and seeps by providing a mature forest and protected corridor for migration of wildlife and rare species that are unique to this region of the Southern Appalachian Mountains," he said in the release.

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With the addition of the 24 acres, Blue Ridge Conservancy has now helped add 400 acres to the state park, the release said. Into the future, the park hopes to continue to grow in in this direction, Hall said, to further protect it from development.

Land conservancies typically can purchase land faster than grants can be awarded by the state, she said, making them a vital part of how the Division of Parks and Recreation adds land to parks.

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Now, the park will post boundary markers around the new land and draw new park maps to include the new 24 acres, which are located on the northeastern side of the park. The land is not currently open to the public, Hall said, and it contains no trails at this time.

"We'll have to evaluate the natural resources and any safety challenges there, and based on that assessment, we'll determine potential recreational, access or facility uses for the land," she said.

Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or 828-274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Grandfather Mountain State Park adds Watauga headwater springs