Blue Ridge Conservancy Purchases Acreage in Avery County

 

Blue Ridge Conservancy has purchased 91 acres of land on Peak Mountain in Avery County. The land includes the summit of Peak Mountain that was originally part of a planned Tynecastle development. The land has also been known as Tynecastle Peak, Invershiel Peak and Dunvegan Peak, and runs parallel to NC Highway 105. Peak Mountain is located within the Dunvegan Natural Heritage Area, an area that is considered a significant natural area as identified by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. The land is adjacent to 310 acres that Blue Ridge Conservancy has purchased since 2016, in an effort to protect land in the Greater Grandfather Mountain Conservation Area, as it is considered an especially important wildlife habitat for migratory birds, bats and insects that use that corridor. According to Blue Ridge Conservancy Executive Director Charlie Brady, the Conservancy will work with the Town of Seven Devils to pursue grants for the creation of a public access trail on Peak Mountain to connect to Otter Falls Park.