Highest point in Uwharries now in corridor

King Mountain will now be part of the Uwharrie National Recreation Trail.

The LandTrust for Central North Carolina and the U.S. Forest Service have completed a transfer of 165 acres of King Mountain into the Uwharrie National Forest, filling one of the three remaining gaps in the historic Uwharrie National Recreational Trail.

King Mountain was a rare conservation opportunity not only for recreation but also as a property with biological significance and natural habitat for wildlife. Being the highest point in the Uwharrie National Forest proclamation boundary, the property is home to the federally endangered Schweinitz’s sunflower, a rare Piedmont monadnock forest with large rock outcroppings and several very high-quality streams noted for their mussel and fish diversity.

The property connects three otherwise disconnected parcels already owned by the U.S. Forest Service, bringing it into the forest service management system.

The Greater Uwharrie Conservation Partnership, which includes several conservation oriented organizations such as the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Zoological Park, played a part in the process.

A $500,000 federal appropriation went toward the purchase of the 165 acres. The LandTrust will continue to own an additional 190 acres until additional funding can be found from either state or federal funding sources to allow The LandTrust to pay off remaining debt associated with this property and place it into public ownership.

An event announcing the transfer was held near the King Mountain property (at the “Jumping Off Rock” trailhead of the Uwharrie Trail).

Jason Walser, executive director of the LandTrust, praised the many partners who made this project happen.

“Fragmentation of land ownership in the Uwharrie National Forest has been a challenge to making it user-friendly,” Walser said. “By strategically filling in some of the gaps that have historically prevented the public from easily accessing land that it already owns, we can make the Uwharrie Trail and Uwharrie Forest experience much richer for the hikers, Boy Scouts, church groups and even soldiers from Fort Bragg who train there regularly. This is truly a great project on many levels.”

He noted that this project could not have happened without the support of the Conservation Fund, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and bipartisan support from Reps. Howard Coble and David Price, and Sens. Hagan and Burr. Coble attended the event and expressed his support for improving the Uwharrie Trail for purposes of increasing tourism in the region.

Deborah Walker, district ranger for the Uwharrie National Forest, and Mary Joan Pugh, chief of staff and business officer of the zoo, also spoke of the great cooperation and partnerships that were taking place in the region to help expand the Uwharrie Trail and provide access to other parts of the Uwharrie National Forest.

For more information about the protection of King Mountain, contact Walser at 704-647-0302 or jason@landtrustcnc.org. To learn more about The LandTrust for Central North Carolina, visit www.landtrustcnc.org.