EXAMPLE PAGE - REPORTS - FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY - Flipbook - Side 10
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
Johns River
Headwaters in
Blowing Rock, NC
Throughout 2023, Foothills Conservancy prepared
Protecting an Iconic Viewshed and the
Birthplace of a River
expansive mountainous view seen from The Blowing
326 Acres
The Town of Blowing Rock, NC, is situated on the
for an early 2024 acquisition to permanently protect
a 326-acre tract of land in Blowing Rock, positioned
directly on the Blue Ridge Escarpment, which
contains the source of the Johns River. This extremely
signiocant parcel of land is a major part of the iconic,
Rock attraction, the oldest travel attraction in North
Carolina, as well as from various places along the
heavily-traveled US 321 corridor and other locations
within the town limits of Blowing Rock.
Eastern Continental Divide and is a unique place that
The purchase was made possible by state grants from
holds the headwaters of three major rivers: the Yadkin
the North Carolina Land and Water Fund and the North
River, the New River and the Johns River.
Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Grant program,
Near the eastern side of Blowing Rock, a small
mountain spring marks the headwaters of the Yadkin
River, which nows down the Blue Ridge Mountains,
through Happy Valley and the Patterson community in
Caldwell County, then on to Wilkesboro and WinstonSalem, before becoming the Pee-Dee River and
emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. This headwater area
foundation grants from the Glass Foundation and
the Wilson Family Foundation, contributions from
conservation philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback,
and Brad and Shelli Stanback, as well as generous
donations and support from 97 individuals and local
businesses in the Blowing Rock community and other
grant funders.
of the Yadkin River is served and protected by Foothills
Millions of people receive clean drinking water from
Conservancy of North Carolina.
the Catawba River, and the Johns River is its longest
Another signiocant stream that begins in Blowing Rock
headwater tributary. The now-protected land also
is the origin of the New River, one of the oldest rivers
in North America. The New River nows north through
Virginia and merges with the Gauley River to become
harbors a number of signiocant natural communities
and threatened plant and animal species documented
by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.
the Kanawha River in West Virginia, before entering
Everything that happens to the land in Blowing Rock
the Ohio River, which in turn feeds the Mississippi River
impacts these three vastly important river basins and
before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
the people who depend on the rivers downstream.
On the southern side of Blowing Rock, amidst the
plunging mountainous terrain, is the source of the
Johns River, a major tributary of the Catawba River,
which becomes the Wateree River on its way to the
Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, SC.
Development around Blowing Rock has the potential
to threaten these watersheds and could jeopardize
drinking water for millions of people. Therefore, the
purchase and protection of this tract of land and
others like it by Foothills Conservancy is crucial for the
ongoing protection of these important river basins
and the mountain communities where they originate.
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