News – Page 19

Asheville Citizen-Times: Nantahala National Forest Grows With Protected Land

November 27, 2017

By Karen Chavez
November 27, 2017

FRANKLIN – A highly prized 50-acre slice of forest will remain forever untouched as it officially becomes part of the Nantahala National Forest.

The relatively small Fires Creek parcel on the Cherokee-Clay county line of the 500,000-acre forest was the object of a contentious, decadelong battle among the private landowners, the U.S. Forest Service and forest visitors who wanted to see a wildernesslike setting remain in its natural state.

Everyone involved seemed to walk away satisfied Nov. 20 when the nonprofit Mainspring Conservation Trust closed on the property to keep Fires Creek forever preserved in conservation.

Click here to read the rest of the story on the ACT website.

Mainspring Picks Up Second Brownfield Property

November 14, 2017

*Mainspring’s newly acquired brownfield property, as seen from Mainspring’s Franklin office grounds*

November 13, 2017 – Ongoing efforts to revitalize the Franklin River District gained momentum this week when Mainspring Conservation Trust acquired another .67 acres in the heart of the area.

The regional land trust purchased the former Simpson Gas and Oil Company at 544 East Main Street, directly across from Mainspring’s Franklin office. Mainspring has entered into a brownfields agreement with the North Carolina Division of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to redevelop the former petroleum distribution facility into green space that will complement the historic Nikwasi Mound.

A brownfield site is defined as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” Simpson Gas and Oil sold kerosene, fuel, oil, gasoline and diesel from 1951 to the mid-2000s.

“This acquisition has been in the works for more than two years,” says Ben Laseter, Mainspring Associate Director. “After we went through the extensive learning process of working with state and federal agencies on the brownfield property next door to our office, we felt like we could use that knowledge with other contaminated properties that affect significant cultural sites or properties with high conservation values. This property made perfect sense; it’s close to the Little Tennessee River, near Nikwasi Mound, and can help improve Franklin’s aesthetic at the eastern entrance to downtown.”

Laseter says projects like this could not be successful without the critical support of hundreds of individual donors to Mainspring, state and federal environmental agencies, and local entities, including the Town of Franklin, Macon County, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “When stakeholders, funders, and governments are willing to help Mainspring bring dollars into the economy to help us purchase, clean up and restore important lands, we have the ability to think outside the box, and that makes a huge impact in our region.”

Mainspring is currently pursuing grant funding for cleanup of the site, which it hopes to complete in 2019.

Lead Gift Bring Fires Creek Property Purchase One Step Closer to Reality

October 10, 2017

October 3, 2017 – A major pledge to Mainspring Conservation Trust places the regional nonprofit near their goal to conserve private property in Cherokee and Clay counties that surrounds U.S. Forest Service.

Fred and Alice Stanback, North Carolina’s leading environmental donors based in Salisbury, have committed $500,000 to Mainspring for the purchase price of 50 private acres along Laurel Creek, a tributary to Fires Creek. Fires Creek is designated as an Outstanding Resource Water. Mainspring, a land trust serving the six western-most counties in North Carolina, is currently under contract with four landowners to purchase the land. Prior to private ownership, the property contained more than 1/3 mile of popular Fires Creek Rim Trail.

Mainspring will hold the property before eventually transferring it to the U.S. Forest Service, to become part of the Nantahala National Forest.

“Mainspring is acquiring the property for the appraised value, and we are thankful the Stanbacks, who are passionate about protecting the places we love in North Carolina, are supporting this project in such a tremendous way,” says Executive Director Sharon Taylor. “Their contribution will make a lasting difference.”

The nonprofit still needs to raise $25,000 for transaction and maintenance costs before the contract expires in the middle of November. People interested in supporting the project can click here and have an opportunity to designate their gift for the Fires Creek project.