Early 90’s

The South Mountains Coalition began as a group of volunteers living on all sides of this unique low-elevation mountain range, determined to protect the 35,000-acre “heart” of the South Mountains. Many joined in support of this conservation mission, leading to the incorporation of the organization in December 1995 as a private, nonprofit regional land trust.

At the time, more than 23,000 acres of the ancient South Mountains were in imminent danger of being clear-cut and subdivided – the 5,285-acre Morganton Watershed and the 17,829-acre Rollins Tract. North Carolina had never taken on acquisitions of this magnitude, which required securing more than $16 million in public and private funds.