Nearly two years ago, Hurricane Helene reshaped our mountain landscapes. The generational storm ravaged many of the most beloved sites, trails, and vistas across Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and Southwest Virginia.
In the short time since, nature has proven its resilience. With the help of neighbors banding together with volunteers from across the United States as well as state and federal disaster responders and resources, the lands and waters in our region are healing. Nature’s new growth abounds just as our region’s courage, determination, and hope did in the wake of the storm.
Lake Lure, near Hendersonville, North Carolina, was one of the most heavily affected areas. Today, it is pristine. State and town officials celebrated the lake’s reopening on May 15, noting that local businesses and restaurants were ready to welcome back tourists for the summer season. While there is still work to do on infrastructure and private property, Lake Lure has undergone a remarkable restoration, and nearly all of Western North Carolina’s towns have reopened to the public.
Lessons from the Storm
As many people in our region experienced firsthand during the Helene recovery effort, it takes all of us working together to protect our land and waterways and keep them healthy. While nature holds the potential to regenerate life, humans are its caretakers. All too often, however, humans cause devastation or worsen the effects of natural disasters.
The resources our landscapes contain are finite, and our environment is fragile. As natural disasters demonstrate, all our lands and waters are interconnected, and all our actions – both helpful and harmful – impact nature.
The health of our landscapes directly correlates to the health of our planet. Organizations called land trusts preserve the health of our land as well as that of the multitude of ecosystems, elements, flora and fauna it sustains. In this way, land trusts play a key role in guiding not only the delicately balanced well-being of our land but also of our planet.
For these reasons and a host of others, Mast General Store celebrates local partnering agencies on Land Trust Day, and, we thank them for the hard work they’ve done to preserve and revive our landscapes so that nature may flourish.
How Do Land Trusts Work?
Land trusts are non-profit organizations that work with landowners and other associations to help safeguard our land heritage, create open spaces, protect wetlands and wildlife habitats, and provide recreational opportunities everyone can enjoy.
Also known as conservancies, land trusts accomplish their goals through a number of avenues. They may purchase land from or negotiate easements with private property owners. They may ensure that a small family farm is passed down to the next generation through covenants that lead to financial help through tax breaks. They may assist in expanding the boundaries of state and national parks or help a small town extend its community greenway.
Mast Store has a long history of partnering with local land trusts. The store’s co-founders John and Faye Cooper saw their benefit soon after they purchased and re-opened the Original Store in 1980. For them, land trusts’ work maintains the beauty that first drew them to North Carolina’s mountains.
“We began to see, as owners of the Mast Store, how important the preservation of the wonderful scenery of our area was both to making it a special place to live and to bringing tourists who appreciated the natural wonders of the High Country,” the Coopers said.
With the help of a new neighbor, Michael Leonard, John and Faye gained a knowledge of land trusts, including how an arrangement set up through one could mutually benefit them, as property owners, and their new home for the long run.
“With Michael’s help we learned how we could enter into an agreement with our local conservancy to help the land around the Mast Store maintain its rural character in perpetuity. We retained ownership of the land, but should we decide to sell it, the easement will carry forward to future owners to enforce the same restrictions,” the Coopers elaborated.
Almost exactly 45 years after purchasing the Original Mast Store, the Coopers remain involved with Valle Crucis’s local land trust, Blue Ridge Conservancy, and advocate for other land trusts throughout the Mast Store region.
As they describe it, “The work of land trusts and conservancies benefits everyone – maybe in ways you may not have considered. By protecting wetlands and open spaces, the damage caused by flood waters can be lessened, and when wildlife has preserved habitats, native plants are saved to continue contributing to the biodiversity of the area, and WE have recreational spaces to enjoy.”
John and Faye’s daughter, Lisa Cooper, proudly carries on her parents’ legacy of partnering the family- and employee-owned business with land trusts in her role as president of Mast General Store. She serves with and advocates for land trusts, including Blue Ridge Conservancy.
“We are so thankful to have been able to give back to our local land trust organizations over the years,” Lisa said. “With all that Western North Carolina has endured since Helene blew through, it makes it even more important to protect our lands.”
Lisa concluded, “Supporting organizations that help preserve our open spaces and land traditions for future generations is a top priority in each of our Mast Store communities.”
As both responsible stewards and fortunate beneficiaries of the land that sustains us, we join these local agencies in their ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the natural, irreplaceable places that make our communities more livable, generate local economic opportunities, and tell the story of our home.
Mast Store’s Annual Land Trust Day Event
On Saturday, June 6, all Mast Store locations will host representatives from a community land trust partner. To support the important work that they do, each store will donate 20% of that day’s sales to its respective conservancy.
Here’s a list of our land trust partners and a bit about who they are:
Blue Ridge Conservancy, Original Store, Annex, and Rivercross – Formed in 2010 with the merger of two High Country land trusts, Blue Ridge Conservancy protects more than 26,000 acres in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties. Since then, it has created the 3,600-acre State Game Land Preserve, helped Elk Knob and Grandfather Mountain state parks expand their borders, conserved biodiversity with the establishment of several state natural sites, and protected working farmland. The group recently acquired 74 acres on Boone’s Howard Knob following a three-decade effort. The parcel adjoins an existing 5-acre park maintained by Watauga County, which increases public access to the local landmark by more than 140%. BRC’s plans for Howard Knob include creating new hiking trails and reopening a historic climbing area.
New River Conservancy, Boone – For more than 50 years, the New River Conservancy has protected the waters, woodlands, and wildlife within the New River Watershed. The group educates those who live in communities along the river’s 360-mile course about the importance of water quality plays in maintaining the river’s health and expanding economic and recreational opportunities.
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Asheville and Waynesville – Established in 1974, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy today protects more than 95,000 acres in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. In doing so, it’s saving unique plant and animal habitats, such as the Highlands of Roan along the Appalachian Trail, freshwater sources, farmland, and pristine landscapes.
With 437 acres protected by Conserving Carolina, Youngs Mountain has panoramic views of Lake Lure, Rumbling Bald and Lower Hickory Nut Gorge. Photo by Rose Lane, courtesy of Conserving Carolina.
Conserving Carolina, Hendersonville – Conserving Carolina protects 51,000 acres in Western North Carolina – from the waterfalls of DuPont State Recreational Forest to the rock cliffs of Hickory Nut Gorge. Conserving Carolina’s work has created new greenways, parks, and trails while restoring woods, meadows, and wetlands. The group also engages residents of the area through hikes, outings, field trips, speaker series, and native plant gardening workshops.
Upstate Forever, Greenville – Since 1998, the mission of Upstate Forever has been to maintain the critical, natural lands, and waters of Upstate South Carolina. The group has played a key role in securing and opening Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail, encouraging ecological activism and responsible community growth, and, today, it protects more than 40,000 acres of mountains, meadows, wetlands, forests, farms, and riverbanks across its region.
Foothills Land Conservancy, Knoxville – Since 1985, Foothills Land Conservancy has preserved more than 200,000 acres of land in 47 Tennessee counties and across six states in the southern Appalachian region through upwards of 500 conservation partnerships. The agency works primarily with landowners who seek to preserve their property as a natural state or a working farm, but it has also preserved the rural character of more than 10,000 acres of land designated for public use.
Foothills Land Conservancy protects more than 200,000 acres of land in Tennessee and six other states, including the Harris Farm in Rockford, TN. Photo courtesy of Foothills Land Conservancy.
Congaree Land Trust, Columbia – The Congaree Land Trust recently reached a milestone in stewarding 100,000 acres of pristine lands, open spaces, farms, forests, and natural habitats across 14 counties in the Midlands of South Carolina. In its three decades, the agency has promoted voluntary conservation efforts that support the regional economy, promote healthy lifestyles, secure clean air and water sources, and improve the local quality of life.
Piedmont Land Conservancy, Winston-Salem – Founded in 1990, the Piedmont Land Conservancy protects more than 33,000 acres of land in a nine-county region of the North Carolina Piedmont Triad. Through 250-plus land protection projects, the group has helped create nature preserves and spaces for outdoor recreation, added significant acreage to state parks, saved Piedmont farmland and historic sites from development, and preserved more than 10,000 acres of land adjacent to vital waterways.
Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, Roanoke – This agency protects 21,000 acres of land in Southwest Virginia, including areas containing the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Smith Mountain Lake. The Blue Ridge Land Conservancy also hosts events on preserved headwater lands to educate local students about the interconnectedness of Virginia’s waterways, which run from their mountainous backyards to the Chesapeake Bay.
Land Trust Day serves as a reminder that a vital function of conservancies is to preserve landscapes and scenic areas that boost tourism and drive local economies. The mountains are OPEN for business, and our Main Streets need your support! Learn more about how you can help to an even greater extent by devoting a day of your mountain vacation to volunteering with one of these land trusts – or another local agency of your choice to continue recovery from Helene's destruction – HERE.
Drop by the Mast Store nearest you on Saturday, June 6, to meet representatives from your local land trust and discover more about the outdoor spaces it has conserved in your community! It’s a great opportunity to say thanks to these organizations for their important work that helps us all enjoy nature, breathe fresh air, and drink clean water every day.