Pacolet Area Conservancy
To protect and conserve our area's natural resources.
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Polk County, NC, adjoining parts of Greenville and Spartanburg Counties, SC, with holdings in Transylvania and Henderson Counties, NC.
Email: pac@teleplex.net Web: www.pacolet.org
Address: PO Box
305, 2633 Lynn Road, Lynn, NC 28750
TEL: 828-859-5060 FAX: 828-859-5074
Founded in 1989 – 2004 is PAC’s 15-year anniversary. Our mission is to protect and conserve the Foothill area’s natural resources with emphasis on the lands and waterways of particular scenic, ecological and agricultural significance in the Pacolet and Green River watersheds. A 1993 comprehensive study showed 35 natural plant communities harboring more than 42 significant plants, 12 being nationally rare or threatened, including the White Irisette, in the Polk County area.
At the end of 2003 the Pacolet Area Conservancy holds 28 easements that protect more than 1200 acres of land, owns over 400 acres in fee simple, and has been instrumental in protecting another 3300 acres in Polk and surrounding counties.
Since 1993, PAC volunteers have monitored water quality at 15 sites in the North Pacolet watershed through the Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN), in partnership with the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Riverlink, Inc., and the Environmental Conservation Organization of Henderson County. PAC’s involvement in the project was instrumental in helping secure a $290,000 grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund to obtain critical conservation easements and land purchases in the magnificent gorge of the North Pacolet River. Our focus on preserving water quality also helped PAC obtain a grant through the Conservation Trust of North Carolina for a study of the lower North Pacolet.
PAC is a key member of the Polk County Greenways Association (PCGA) that was established in 2001. PCGA’s mission is first to preserve and then to develop hiking trails and public access to important natural sites in Polk County. The goal is to connect the towns and natural areas of Polk County with a greenway system. PAC’s vision for the greenway is ultimately to extend the trail to connect with the North Carolina Trail to the Sea and with the South Carolina Palmetto Trail, providing an important portion of what will be thousands of miles of trail access.
In 2003, PAC started a “Wise Up about Watersheds” program staffed by volunteers and based on an award winning program run by Dr. Jack Turner of the Watershed Ecology Center located in Spartanburg, South Carolina to educate school age children about how a watershed works, the concept of non-point source water pollution and what types of good management practices help to protect the water. The program has been well received by both the teachers and the students in our area’s public and private schools and we have received significant favorable press coverage.
2004 is going to be a challenging year. Polk County and the surrounding area face the escalating pressure of development. Last year alone saw 10,000+ acres of historic significance and great natural beauty lost to developers. However, PAC is delighted to be working with a private individual to hopefully protect over three quarters of a 2000-acre tract they saved by outbidding developers.
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