High Country Conservancy

High Country Conservancy (aka HCC) is a non-profit land trust operating in northwest North Carolina. It's mission is "to protect the natural resources of Appalachia by conserving land with significant ecological, cultural, recreational, or scenic value in the North Carolina High Country." [Land Trust Alliance website www.lta.org] Through 2007 HCC has protected convert|2069|acre|km2|1 in Watauga County, Ashe County and Avery County.

HCC, the first local land trust in the North Carolina High Country, is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, a national umbrella organization of over 1600 land trusts located in the United States of America. It is also a founding member of Blue Ridge Forever [http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2007/0122web/inregionallandmoreconservationiststrust.php] , a consortium of 13 land trusts in Western North Carolina. Additionally HCC is a member of a coalition of land trusts that have worked to promote Lands for Tomorrow [http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2007/0716web/conservationcoalition.php] , a bond initiative to promote land preservation across North Carolina.

HCC was originally founded in 1995 as the Watauga Land Trust, primarily with a mission to protect a bouldering site on Howard's Knob above Boone [History of HCC from Watauga Democrat article at http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2007/0625web/hcconservancy.php] . In 1997 it changed its name to High Country Conservancy and expanded its mission to include Ashe and Avery Counties. Since then HCC has completed 36 projects protecting convert|2069|acre|km2|1. [http://www.highcountryconservancy.org/community/page.php?12] Twenty-five of these projects, totaling convert|1459|acre|km2|1, are protected by conservation easements and the remaining 11 projects, convert|611|acre|km2|1, through fee simple donation or purchase. Protected lands have been transferred to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Elk Knob State Park.

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