Partnership Nets Forest Service 9,642 Acres, Rocky Fork Tract
A scenic vista of the Rocky Fork Tract, part of the 9,624 acre land acquisition in the Cherokee National Forest.
The Conservation Fund and the Forest service, USDA purchased 9,624 acres in the Southern Appalachian Mountain of NE Tennessee.
By Terry McDonald
On December 15, 2008, The Conservation Fund and the Forest Service purchased a total of 9,624 acres in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of northeast Tennessee from New Forestry, LLC. The property - known as Rocky Fork - is the largest unprotected tract of land in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
The property is located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in Unicoi and Greene counties (Tennessee), approximately 30 minutes from Johnson City, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina.
As part of the overall acquisition, The Conservation Fund acquired 7,387 acres, which the organization will temporarily hold as it raises money to transfer this portion of the property to the state of Tennessee and the Forest Service for permanent ownership and management. The Forest Service acquired an additional 2,237 acres of the Rocky Fork tract, which will be part of the Cherokee National Forest.
Acquisition efforts have been an outstanding public-private endeavor. Some of the partners involved include members of the Tennessee and North Carolina congressional delegations, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Lyndhurst Foundation, Unicoi County, Town of Unicoi, Town of Erwin, Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce, and Joint Economic Development Board of Unicoi County.
Rocky Fork offers a range of resource management and recreational opportunities. About 1.5 miles of the Appalachian Trail crosses the southwest border of the property, and half the property can be seen from the trail. Sixteen miles of blue-ribbon trout streams, including the waters of Lower Higgins Creek and Rocky Fork Creek, harbor exceptional populations of native brook trout.
Rocky Fork also boasts habitat for a variety of wildlife including the peregrine falcon, eastern hellbender, Yonahlossee salamander, bear, turkey, deer and grouse.