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South Mountains Game Lands
South Mountains Game Lands Addition Protects First Broad River
MORGANTON, NC - Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina (FCNC) has arranged for the purchase by the N. C. Wildlife
Resources Commission (NCWRC) of 1,245 acres that will expand the South Mountains Game Land and protect source
streams of the First Broad River.
The first phase of the acquisition - approximately 752 acres in Rutherford and McDowell counties -- was purchased on
April 14 by the Wildlife Resources Commission. The land trust's option provides for purchase of the remainder of the tract
by early Fall.
Foothills Conservancy and the landowners, Rutherford Hills LP, reached a deal on the acquisition in January following lengthy
negotiations and efforts to secure funding. Rutherford Hills partners, Robert Head, Jr., W.C. Nelson, William L. Holt, Scotty
Fain and Chris Henson, preferred sale of the large, undeveloped tract for wildlife gamelands.
“Mr. Head and his partners made it possible for Foothills to work with the Wildlife Resources Commission to get this
important tract purchased,” said Tom Kenney, FCNC Land Protection Director. “We are grateful for their willingness to work
with us to make the acquisition happen.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Foothills Conservancy and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to
consummate the Phase One purchase of 752 acres that will expand the South Mountains Game Land,” said Robert Head, Jr.
“The results of much efforts by all parties were greatly fulfilled by this endeavor and the citizens of North Carolina will benefit
by this purchase for many years to come.”
The first phase was purchased using $1,316,857 awarded to the NCWRC from the N. C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund and
the N. C. Department of Transportation's Ecosystem Enhancement Program. Additional funds from these sources,
and possibly from the N. C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, will be used to acquire the remaining portion of the tract.
The Wildlife Resources Commission will own and manage the tract for wildlife, as well as water quality and natural heritage
preservation.
"The addition of Lone Mountain to the South Mountains Game Land will improve public access to the area and will expand
public hunting opportunity. Public ownership of this important natural community will protect it from disturbance and add
to the biological diversity and productivity of the game land," said Richard Hamilton, Assistant Director of NCWRC.
Upon completion of the purchase, 22,100 acres of the South Mountains in Rutherford, McDowell, Burke and Cleveland
counties will be protected as public wildlife lands in an area which has recently seen increasing subdivision development.
Together with state park lands, more than 38,700 acres will be permanently protected in the South Mountains.
“We are thrilled that this partnership effort between Foothills Conservancy and the Wildlife Resources Commission will
result in additional access and expansion of state wildlife gamelands,” Kenney said. “The South Mountains are one of
North Carolina's most important natural and scenic treasures and protection of these lands is a tremendous achievement
thanks to the efforts of many, including our conservancy's supporters.”
The acquisition tract adjoins the western-most section of the “Rollins Tract” portion of the South Mountains Game Lands.
In 1998, Foothills Conservancy, in partnership with the N. C. Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and NCWRC, raised
more than $14 million to purchase the 18,000-acre “Rollins Tract” in Rutherford, Cleveland and McDowell counties for
public game lands. Since then, FCNC has continued to work with the NCWRC to secure strategic tracts.
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South Mountains adds Broughton Watershed land
By Sabian Warren, News Herald Staff Writer
An expanded South Mountains State Park will allow easier access for residents from Burke and surrounding areas and
provide a setting for a major state-run environmental education center, officials said in an outdoor ceremony Friday
afternoon.
More than 100 local and state officials along with conservationists and interested citizens turned out for the ceremony to
mark the park's acquisition of a 2,556-acre tract known as the Broughton watershed property.
The addition enlarges the park to 16,664 acres, making it unique in the state.
“South Mountain is now the largest state park in North Carolina,” said N.C. Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Secretary Bill Holman, among the guests in attendance. “It's something Burke County can be proud of
and it's something our department can be proud of.”
Acting on a request from Foothills Conservancy, state officials in September approved the transfer of the watershed
property from the N.C. Department of Agriculture to the state park. The property for the past five years has been used as
public game lands, open to hunting.
According to South Mountains State Park Superintendent, Walt Gravley, the land will continue to serve as game lands through
May 15, when the last hunting season ends.
After that date, hunting will be discontinued since state parks by law don't allow hunting, he said.
Park officials are currently drawing up plans for future use of the property, Gravley said.
“When we get the plan completed, we'll present it to the public for some input,” he said.
State officials are committed to building a major environmental education center on the site, Gravley said, thought specific
details aren't available yet.
“The public use will be geared toward environmental education,” he said. “The plans are for it to be the premiere educational
center in western North Carolina.”
A key benefit of the expansion, officials said, is easier access to the park for many residents, since an entrance will be opened
off U.S. 64 southwest of Morganton.
As it stands now, residents from the Morganton area have to travel a winding route along N.C. 18 South or Old N.C. 18, among
other roads, that goes nearly to Cleveland County.
Aside from the practical benefits, the transfer of the watershed property means permanent preservation of another parcel of the
35,000-acre heart of the South Mountains.
“I think now it's dawning on us that these kinds of places are in short supply,” said Foothills Conservancy Executive Director
Susie Hamrick Jones.
Noted N.C. Superintendent of State Parks Tom Wells: “We're losing 15 acres every hour in North Carolina to some form of
development. That's over 300,000 acres a year.”
“It's a beautiful piece of property and a great addition to South Mountains State Park,” said Burke County Commissioner
Trossie Wall.
Preservation of the land is part of Gov. Jim Hunt's Million Acres Program in which the state, working with conservationists,
landowners and other groups, hopes to preserve a million acres over the next decade.
State Agriculture Commissioner Jim Graham was expected to attend the ceremony, but minor surgery kept him away,
officials said.
The 20-acre lake on the watershed property once was Broughton Hospital's source of water. When the hospital
stopped using it, the lake and surrounding land became the property of the Agriculture Department.
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Rollins Tract
Location:
Piedmont
Burke, Cleveland, McDowell, and Rutherford Counties
Size in Acres:
21,925
Involvement in Acres:
21,925
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Topographical Map:
Benn Knob, Dysartsville
Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
Activities and Amenities
Hiking / Birding / Wildflowers / Fishing
Ownership and Access:
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
1701 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1701
(919) 733-7291
Site Information:
The rugged South Mountain range is a reminder of the wilderness that once characterized North Carolina’s Piedmont.
The mountains rise abruptly over the landscape near Morganton, reaching elevations of almost 3,000 feet. This large
block of unfragmented forest covers parts of Burke, Cleveland, McDowell, and Rutherford counties. The South Mountains
Game Land, formerly known as the Rollins Tract, comprises 17,829 acres that span more than 14 miles along the spine
of the mountain range and border the 12,725-acre South Mountains State Park.
The NC Natural Heritage Program considers the South Mountains to have national biological significance. The land harbors
many rare natural communities, including rocky summits, rich cove forests, and old-growth forests. The property is home
to wildlife species such as black bear, bobcat, mink, brook trout, and migratory songbirds. Botanist Bill Moye conducted the
only extensive botanical survey of the tract and documented the area’s rich flora. Twenty-two rare plant species thrive in the
South Mountains, including one of North America’s rarest orchids, the small whorled pogonia.
The Rollins Tract contains the headwaters of the First Broad River, which supply the city of Shelby and upper Cleveland County
water systems.
Conservation Highlights:
The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a regional land trust, played a decisive role in this victory for landscape-level
conservation. A partnership of public and private conservation groups, including The Nature Conservancy, the Foothills
Conservancy of North Carolina, and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, worked for four years to acquire the Rollins
Tract and establish the South Mountains Game Land. In 1998, The Nature Conservancy purchased the tract for $13.4 million
from the McDonald Investment Corporation and transferred the property to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Directions:
The South Mountains Game Land is open to the public for outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing, and hunting. You can
contact the Wildlife Commission in Raleigh for information on access to the game land.
You can also visit South Mountains State Park, adjacent to the game land. The park offers hiking trails, bridle trails, and
camping. The park is located 18 miles south of Morganton; leave I-40 at exit 105 and take NC 18 south about 10 miles.
Turn right on Sugar Loaf Road (SR 1913), go four miles, turn left and take SR 1924 for two miles. Turn right on SR 1901
and drive 1.5 miles, then turn right onto SR 1904 and drive 3.6 miles to the park entrance.
