Preserves
and Protected Lands in North Carolina
The
North Carolina NATURE PRESERVES ACT states that the continued
population growth and land development in North Carolina have
made it necessary and desirable that areas of natural significance
be identified and preserved before they are destroyed.
These
natural areas, the text goes on to report, are irreplaceable as
laboratories for scientific research, as reservoirs of natural
materials for uses that may not now be known, as habitats for
plant and animal species and biotic communities, as living museums
where people may observe natural biotic and environmental systems
and the interdependence of all forms of life, and as reminders
of the vital dependence of the health of the human community on
the health of the other natural communities.
In
North Carolina, we have established a Natural Heritage Program
to provide assistance in the selection and nomination for registration
or dedication of natural areas. This program includes classification
of natural heritage resources, an inventory of their locations,
and a data bank for that information. There are so many amazing
real properties that qualify as outstanding natural areas.
YOU
can take part in funding and founding nature preserves by investing
in such a property. The owner of a qualified natural area even
may transfer fee simple title or other interest in land to the
State. Nature preserves may be acquired by gift, grant, or purchase.
The
North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy has protected
more than 100 beautiful sites across the state. Most of the sites,
while full of natural charm, also have adequate public access
but are situated such that public exploration will not endanger
fragile natural communities. One of the sites within hours of
Asheville is MOUNT MITCHELL. When you come to explore our area
of the country, this is ONE place you will not want to miss!
The State of North Carolina established its first state park at
Mount Mitchell in 1915 to protect the area's virgin Fraser fir
from timbering. The North Carolina Chapter purchased 84 acres
of additional land for Mount Mitchell State Park in 1997.
At
6,684 feet above sea level, Mount Mitchell is the highest peak
in the eastern United States and contains an extensive area of
spruce-fir forest, one of the country's rarest ecosystems. Spruce-fir
forest is abundant in a large region of northern North America,
but south of New England the forest type is only found in a narrow
band in the Appalachian Mountains. This natural community is characterized
by evergreens, particularly red spruce and Fraser fir, and harbors
many species that are closely related to species in the spruce-fir
forests of New England.
In
North Carolina, spruce-fir forest occurs at elevations above 5,500
feet where cool temperatures and high moisture are prevalent conditions.
The forests are remnants from the last ice age some 18,000 years
ago and have become refuges for species that cannot tolerate warmer,
drier conditions. This forest type is declining due to the negative
effects of air pollution, in particular, acid rain.
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