Mast General Store Celebrates Land Trust Day on June 5th

The Mast General Store celebrates Land Trust Day on Saturday, June 5th. Recognized for the eighth year at Mast Store, Land Trust Day is a friend-raising event encouraging new memberships in local land trusts as well as an educational opportunity to learn how these groups unite the past and future by preserving our land heritage.

 
"According to the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, the state has lost 2.8 million acres of cropland and forest land to development over the last 20 years.  By 2022, it is projected that certain areas ofNorth Carolina will experience an additional 50% decrease in their forests and cropland,” said John Cooper, president of the Mast General Store. “With those statistics in mind, it’s more important than ever to have an active plan to protect our open farmland, scenic vistas, and significant landmarks for future generations to enjoy and benefit from, not just in North Carolina, but throughout the southeast. Our annual Land Trust Day helps highlight local organizations that are working hard to do just that."
 The land trust movement is not new. Some land trusts have been in place for over a century. In the past five years the amount of land protected by local and regional land trusts has doubled nationwide. Currently, there are more than 1,600 land trusts active across the nation. These organizations are extraordinarily successful in their missions, having protected more than 37 million acres of land according to the National Land Trust Census.

Representatives from the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) will be on hand at the Mast Store in Asheville and Waynesville on June 5th to share with guests the activities they are undertaking to conserve the open spaces in the region. Founded in 1974, SAHC has a mission of “protecting the world’s oldest mountains for the benefit of present and future generations.” Thus far, the conservancy has protected more than 40,000 acres, including key sites adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Highlands of Roan, and more than 6,000 acres of farmland in Sandy Mush near Asheville, NC. The Mast General Store will donate 20 percent of sales on that Saturday to this organization.
The Farmland Preservation Initiative continues to grow with the addition of Claxton Farm to 3,000 acres of SAHC protected working farmland. SAHC has partnered with landowners Porter and Martha Ann Claxton to permanently conserve 480 acres of their 550-acre property through a working lands conservation easement. The farm incorporates traditional farming including cattle and hay productions along with cutting edge agri-tourism. The farm boasts 360 degrees of unobstructed mountain views which draw over 11,000 visitors each year. A diverse assortment of livestock such as ILR registered llamas, AMHA registered miniature horses, camels, donkeys and sheep attracts school groups from the surrounding communities.
The gateway to the Southern Appalachian Mountains, the 9624-acre property known as Rocky Fork, is now one step closer to being protected, with the property’s acquisition by The Conservation Fund and the USDA Forest Service. Located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in Unicoi and Greene counties, this tract has been open to visitors who hike, hunt, fish and enjoy the great outdoors. As this property became positioned for sale, a coalition of local, state and federal leaders sprang into action to save it because of the property’s natural resource value and importance to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
“Rocky Fork is a Southern Appalachian gem and truly is an asset to local communities and national forest visitors,” said Tom Speaks, forest supervisor of Cherokee National Forest. “Generations of people have been using this land and we’re proud to be a part of the effort to make sure that future generations will have that same opportunity.” Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy are leading critical local efforts, rallying community support and raising public and private funds.

"We are excited about providing this opportunity to the land trusts in our local areas," said Cooper. "President Theodore Roosevelt said in 1912 ‘There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.’ Those words still ring true today. The preservation activities in our area are beneficial to the quality of life for residents and go a long way to further the sustainability of the tourism industry, a mainstay of our economy."
 
For more information on land trusts, stop by the information table on Saturday, June 5th in all Mast Store locations. Visit the local land trust’s website - www.appalachian.org - for more information on current projects and how to become a member of this organization. For further information on land trusts in North Carolina, go to www.ctnc.org/landtrusts/trusts.htm. To learn more about land trust activities in general, visit the Land Trust Alliance online.