Protected Land is coming to Elkin

Piedmont Land Conservancy Transfers 297 acres to Town of Elkin for Headwaters Protection and Recreation

DECEMBER 2021

Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) transferred two tracts totaling 297 acres to the Town of Elkin for permanent ownership and management. The property is located on US Highway 21 near Stone Mountain State Park.

The properties, protected forever by a conservation easement held by PLC, protect several streams that form the headwaters of Elkin’s drinking water supply, Elkin Creek.

The properties are located on the steep, forested slopes of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, the region of significant elevation change leading up to the Blue Ridge. The Escarpment is one of the most ecologically significant landscapes in North Carolina due to the presence of extensive, unfragmented forests, headwaters streams, and habitat for many sensitive species of plants and animals.

One tract was donated to PLC by the Chatham Family in 1999 and PLC acquired the other tract in 2020 from the C.S. Lassiter family. Combined the two tracts create a 297-acre preserve.  

The properties provide an excellent opportunity to create high quality, low-impact recreation and education opportunities for nearby residents and visitors. Volunteers with Elkin Valley Trails Association are already developing plans for a network of mountain biking and hiking trails to be created over the next couple of years. Historically, a part of this property was to become a portion of the Elkin & Alleghany Railroad.

“This was such an amazing opportunity to be able to take acquisition of almost 300 acres of woodlands that protect the headwaters of the Big Elkin Creek. With this perpetual conservation easement, the citizens of Elkin will always know their source of drinking water will be protected.  On behalf of the Town of Elkin and its citizens, we would like to especially thank the hard work of the staff at Piedmont Land Conservancy as well as here locally, Watershed NOW and the Elkin Valley Trails Association”
Sam Bishop
Mayor of Elkin

PLC has protected significant sections of the Blue Ridge Escarpment within our service area of the north-central Piedmont, including the headwaters of the Mitchell River and the Fisher River (including Fisher Peak).

The Chatham Foundation, Amon G. Carter Foundation, PLC supporters and the NC Native Plant Society all made gifts to support the acquisition of the Elkin Creek Headwaters property from the Lassiter Family.

More Posts from Piedmont Land Conservancy

On November 23, Piedmont Land Conservancy was recognized for our work in water and air quality protection…

The story begins last November when the Surry County Forester noticed a large logging and land clearing…

PLC closed more gaps along the Mayo River in Rockingham County last month, with the acquisition of two tracts that 

Consider giving to

Piedmont Land Conservancy

to protect more special places like this one.