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Cary businessman and conservationist Tim Sweeney made good on his promise to permanently protect a large, unfragmented, undeveloped corner of Western North Carolina.
Sweeney's recent donation is one of the largest conservation easements by an individual in the history of North Carolina, said Jeff Fisher, CEO of the land management and real estate consulting firm Unique Places LLC, which led the efforts to organize the permanent conservation.
"It may be the largest," he said.
The easement permanently protects the 7,000-acre Box Creek Wilderness, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Marion and Morganton, north of Rutherfordton, and west of South Mountains State Park.
Sweeney, founder of Epic Games, donated the conservation easement to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
He paid $15 million for the 7,000-acre Box Creek Wilderness.
"It's still in private ownership but the easement ensures it can never be developed," Sweeney said. "It's not open to anyone in the public at any time, but people can email and get a permission card and go and enjoy it.
The South Mountain Gray-cheeked Salamander is a Globally Critically Imperiled species found in Box Creek Wilderness and is one of several regionally and locally endemic species, which occur nowhere else in the world. (Photo: Courtesy of Box Creek Wilderness)
"When real estate collapsed, it was an opportunity to buy the best and most biodiverse natural areas," he said. "Box Creek had approximately 5,000 acres owned by developers. The next time there's a real estate boom, we won't be able to protect these lands."
"From the beginning, he wanted to conserve landscape-scale parcels to create major wildlife corridors. He didn't want to do it piecemeal," said Elly Wells of Asheville, who led community outreach for the project. "His goal was to find big parcels, with rich biodiversity and which were ecologically significant. The fact that this land helps to form natural wildlife corridors to the South Mountains, and very close to Chimney Rock State Park made ecological sense."
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Wow. What a thing to do.
Cary businessman and conservationist Tim Sweeney made good on his promise to permanently protect a large, unfragmented, undeveloped corner of Western North Carolina.
Sweeney's recent donation is one of the largest conservation easements by an individual in the history of North Carolina, said Jeff Fisher, CEO of the land management and real estate consulting firm Unique Places LLC, which led the efforts to organize the permanent conservation.
"It may be the largest," he said.
The easement permanently protects the 7,000-acre Box Creek Wilderness, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Marion and Morganton, north of Rutherfordton, and west of South Mountains State Park.
Sweeney, founder of Epic Games, donated the conservation easement to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
He paid $15 million for the 7,000-acre Box Creek Wilderness.
"It's still in private ownership but the easement ensures it can never be developed," Sweeney said. "It's not open to anyone in the public at any time, but people can email and get a permission card and go and enjoy it.
The South Mountain Gray-cheeked Salamander is a Globally Critically Imperiled species found in Box Creek Wilderness and is one of several regionally and locally endemic species, which occur nowhere else in the world. (Photo: Courtesy of Box Creek Wilderness)
"When real estate collapsed, it was an opportunity to buy the best and most biodiverse natural areas," he said. "Box Creek had approximately 5,000 acres owned by developers. The next time there's a real estate boom, we won't be able to protect these lands."
"From the beginning, he wanted to conserve landscape-scale parcels to create major wildlife corridors. He didn't want to do it piecemeal," said Elly Wells of Asheville, who led community outreach for the project. "His goal was to find big parcels, with rich biodiversity and which were ecologically significant. The fact that this land helps to form natural wildlife corridors to the South Mountains, and very close to Chimney Rock State Park made ecological sense."
More at link
Wow. What a thing to do.
