The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy recently purchased 150 acres adjoining Roan Mountain State Park, protecting habitat resources and streams in the Doe River watershed, to be added to the State Park in the future. The tract contains richly biodiverse habitat and mountain wetland areas, and five species of state-listed rare plants have been identified on the property.
The Sugar Hollow addition to Roan Mountain State Park is along the eastern edge, and rises to a ridgeline approximately 2,000 ft. behind the Roan Mountain State Park visitor center and stretching from Sugar Hollow Road to Hampton Creek Road in Tennessee.
The route of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail passes along the lower edge of the property. The landowners had decided to sell the property and listed it on the real estate market, which caught the attention of Roan Mountain State Park Manager Monica Johnson. She contacted staff with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which manages Tennessee’s 56 state parks, as well as partners at The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to find a way to preserve the land.
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust conserving land and water resources in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, and since 1974, has protected more than 75,000 acres of unique plant and animal habitat, clean water, farmland, scenic views, and places for people to enjoy outdoor recreation.
Learn more at Appalachian.org.