Yes they could, to paraphrase a certain campaign slogan. The people who have long been working to preserve Ashe County's Pond Mountain have all but pulled off that once-daunting deal. In doing so, they'll give generations to come a mountain to cherish and enjoy, free of development, and set a strong example for future preservation efforts.
The money for the deal is now in place. North Carolina's Clean Water Management Trust Fund approved a $3 million grant last week, the Journal's Monte Mitchell reported, the last chunk of financing needed for the deal. The last closing should be completed by February.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will hold the real estate as state gamelands, making it available for hunting, and possibly for other uses such as hiking and horseback riding. Let's hope the other uses come through, because this is beautiful country that groups with varied interests should be able to enjoy. The top of the mountain, a staggering 5,000 feet up in the clouds, offers a 360-degree, breathtaking view.
A lot of people and groups deserve credit for helping to pull this deal off, including the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust (which organized the effort), the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, the High Country Conservancy, the National Committee for the New River, the Foundation for the Carolinas and state Sen. Steve Goss. "Being from Ashe County, it's special to me to see this very remote area protected for ages to come," he said.
The mountain owners, Mark Johnston and Chris Shumate, also deserve praise, because they could have easily sold to a developer and made a lot more money.
The $14-million deal is good for them and good for the state. The deal will allow the owners to cover the cost of paying off their debt on the farm and inheritance tax. They should make a decent profit by harvesting the estimated 800,000 Christmas trees on about 600 acres of the mountain. The agreement also allows them to lease back that part of the land to keep their farm going.
The protected land stretches to the very northwest corner of our state, save for about 10 acres. And that land, too, could become available for conservation.
The Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust already has almost 1,000 acres in the area under conservation easement. Walter Clark, the head of that group, said he foresees protecting nearly 4,000 acres in the state's northwest corner.
Let's hope that happens. And let's hope the state's conservation groups continue to work creatively with landowners to preserve precious mountains, following the example set by those who participated in the Pond Mountain effort.
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