Wildlife Resources Commission to Participate in Appalachian Conservation Event

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 14) – The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is helping the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) launch its Highlands of Roan conservation initiative and celebrate a $500,000 grant from the Open Space Institute that will enable SAHC to become even more effective throughout its focus area.

A public information session on SAHC’s conservation initiative, which is guided by the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Community Foundation of WNC offices in downtown Asheville’s BB&T building.

“This is a really good example of how the Wildlife Action Plan is being put to use by our conservation partners to achieve conservation on the ground,” said Chris McGrath, Wildlife Diversity Coordinator for the commission. “The plan is not just another government document on a shelf in Raleigh; it provides meaningful guidance to partners and leverages resources to accomplish important conservation actions. Further, it facilitates closer cooperation among conservation organizations and agencies to achieve more than any of us could achieve on our own.”

Last year, SAHC protected 434 acres in the Highlands of Roan in western North Carolina, providing habitat for key species identified in the state’s Wildlife Action Plan. Commission biologists assisted SAHC with technical evaluations of the property’s habitats and identified them as priorities for conservation.

“Our relationship with WRC has grown into a tremendous working partnership,” said Carl Silverstein, SAHC’s executive director. “This is a model we can continue to apply on a number of properties in the Highlands of Roan as we identify new opportunities to protect land.”

That preservation project led to the grant from the Open Space Institute, which SAHC will utilize toward future conservation endeavors in the Highlands of Roan. The area, with its northern hardwood forest and rocky outcroppings, is considered a key habitat for both game and nongame species, including black bear, neotropical songbirds and brook trout.

“The Open Space Institute is very pleased to assist SAHC in launching its efforts in the Highlands of Roan,” said Marc Hunt, OSI’s field coordinator for the southern Appalachians. “Combined with the expertise of the Wildlife Resources Commission, they are making tremendous strides identifying habitat in critical need of protection and implementing the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.”

For more information on the commission and the Wildlife Action Plan, click here. For more information on SAHC, go to www.appalachian.org, and for the Open Space Institute, visit www.osiny.org.