Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy

Mission

To conserve the unique plant and animal habitat, clean water, and scenic beauty of the mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee for the benefit of present and future generations. We achieve this by forging and maintaining long-term conservation relationships with private landowners, owning and managing land and encouraging strong, healthy local communities.

Geographic Area

Western North Carolina, focusing on Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey counties; and East Tennessee, focusing on Carter, Johnson and Unicoi counties

Contact

Web: http://www.appalachian.org/
Email: sahc@appalachian.org

Address: 34 Wall Street, Suite 502, Asheville, NC 28801-2710

TEL: 828-253-0095
FAX: 828-253-1248

About Us

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has been working to preserve the world’s oldest mountains since 1974. Since then, SAHC has safeguarded more than 38,000 acres of important lands in western North Carolina and east Tennessee in:

• The Highlands of Roan: On the North Carolina/Tennessee line, this is one of the most remarkable places on earth. Its grassy bald mountaintops and spruce/fir forests are among the rarest of rare biological communities, and are of global not just national significance.
• The Black Mountains: Reaching northeast of Asheville, the Black Mountains are a globally outstanding ecological system that plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity in the Southern Appalachians.
• The Balsam, Plott Balsam & Smoky Mountains: Bisected by the Blue Ridge Parkway along the Haywood-Jackson county line, this area features pristine headwaters, high-biodiversity streams, mature forests, and high-altitude ridges adjoining the Pisgah National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These public lands are powerful magnets for real estate development on adjacent private tracts, and SAHC is working to minimize sprawl-type development next to public lands.
• The Newfound & Walnut Mountains: Stretching northwest of Asheville, these mountains include high grassy meadows along ridge tops, steep forested coves and slopes, and intact bottom land farms. All of these features are threatened as population expands from Asheville. SAHC-protected areas include Sandymush Bald and the Canton watershed seven miles of the most pristine headwaters streams in North Carolina flowing through an 873-acre botanical wonderland.

SAHC leads long-term “hands-on” efforts to steward lands we secure. We partner with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies to restore and protect the high-elevation grassy bald mountaintops at Roan. In this work, we coordinate dedicated volunteers who contribute thousands of hours of service annually.