1998 - 2004

Working with an array of public and private partners, the conservancy secured broad public and political support at the local, state, and national level and raised more than $25 million in federal, state, and private funds to protect almost 9,000 acres around Lake James and the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area from development for thousands of home sites.

Subsequently, Lake James State Park was expanded by almost 3,000 acres and 30 miles of public shoreline, and lands below the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area were acquired for a new state game land and Pisgah National Forest.