Historical Highlights
For 30 years the National Committee for the New River (NCNR) has been working to protect and enhance the New River. NCNR was born from advocacy in the 1970s, to stop construction of two dams on the New River that would have flooded 42,000 acres in North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. The proposed dams would have displaced at least 2,700 inhabitants, 893 dwellings, 42 summer cabins, 10 industrial establishments, 23 commercial facilities, five post offices, 15 churches, and 12 cemeteries. Because the proposed project had so little value compared to what would have been destroyed with local farmers losing their land and with damming the free-flowing New River, the fight to defeat the dams became a national fight.
NCNR was successful in 1976, when a 26.5-mile section of the New was designated a Federal Scenic River. After the dam proposal was defeated, NCNR operated as a volunteer organization to protect and preserve the New River. NCNR reorganized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1991 and began protecting land along the New River.

NCNR’s first conservation easement was located along the designated South Fork National Scenic River in Ashe County, NC. This conservation easement was the first of five land protection projects located along the National Scenic section. To date NCNR has helped to protect 1,166 acres of land in NC, amounting to 20 miles of land protected along the New River and its tributaries.

One focus of NCNR’s Land Protection Program is the Todd South Fork Greenway Project, located in the historic district of Todd, NC. The project is comprised of several fee-simple purchases, conservation easement purchases and donations, and the dedication of a nature preserve, encompassing five miles of riverfront. This project is important for helping to protect critical wildlife habitat and the South Fork’s High Quality Water, as well as the rural character of the historic Todd community.

Since 1999, NCNR has developed a conservation strategy through rigorously applied principles that will give landowners innovative tools to protect the water quality, aquatic habitats, and riparian areas along this national treasure. This five-year comprehensive conservation initiative includes protecting 5,000 acres of significant land, restoring 50 miles of eroding stream banks, increasing citizens’ capacity to defend and protect the New River watershed, increasing the awareness of and active support for critical issues affecting the New River, and increasing its support from individual donors and members. NCNR works to help others understand the seriousness of this complex issue by educating and involving the river basin’s residents and by protecting the excellent quality of the river's natural environment.