Join us at YMCA Camp Harrison in Wilkes County for a canoe/kayak paddle on Broyhill Lake.
Join us on a tour of Appalachian State’s Blackburn-Vannoy Farm, a 360-acre conservation easement in Fleetwood. This property is used as a historic teaching farm, enabling the upkeep of the land through continued sustainable farming practices and research-based preservation initiatives to maintain the cultural authenticity of the area. This hike will be led by Farm Manager Todd Rudicill.
July’s hike is a yearly favorite: a guided hike at Old Orchard Creek Farm in Ashe County, capped off with a blueberry picking session
Join us for a hike at Three Top Mountain Game Land, soon to be part of the Northern Peaks State Trail, to learn about sustainable trail building practices and the progress of the trail.
Join is for a guided hike at Camp Lutherock in Avery County
Celebrate Earth Day and help BRC get the Conservation Campus clean and ready for spring and summer! Bring your boots, gloves, and sunscreen.
Please RSVP to sydney@blueridgeconservancy.org and let us know you'll be joining in!
Jumpinoff Rocks Trail: a short out-and-back on the Blue Ridge Parkway with excellent long-range views at the end. The trail is just about a mile, but for those of you who want to do more hiking, this trail connects to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
Parking lot directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vYeAsvKazU2E1CaZ6.
The parking lot is relatively small, so if possible, please carpool.
We are excited to join Beech Mountain for their Sustainable Education Series to share insights on preserving and enhancing our community. Beech Mountain is committed to giving back and ensuring a safe, clean environment for generations to come, this series provides a unique opportunity to learn from and connect with our local partners. Don't miss the chance to be part of the conversation!
We're going to deviate from the Amphibolites in February and head to the New River State Park 221 Access to hike the River Run and Hickory Trail loops. 2.1 miles.
We are excited to be joined by MountainTrue’s Hannah Woodburn, who will be along to provide more info about the trails and the river. See you there!
NPST Coordinator Jordan Sellers will be the featured speaker at the Blue Ridge Group of NC Sierra Club's next meeting on January 23. This event is in-person or via zoom. Register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/394831849610959
Join us for the first Amphibo-hike of the new year! Meet at 10am at the BUMC parking area.
December 18, 2023
5:00pm - 6:00pm
Watauga County Public Library
There is no formal presentation at this meeting, drop in any time between 5-6 to make comments/ask questions.
This meeting is a partnership between the Town of Boone and Blue Ridge Conservancy
Meet at the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area picnic area
Hiking the Summit Trail, Rhododendron Trail and Lost Province Trail for a total of 2.15 miles
Join Jordan Sellers, NPST Coordinator, for a hike on the first Thursday of each month for a guided hike along the Amphibolite Mountains. Hikes will begin at 10am.
For the initial hike in November, meet at the Elk Knob State Park parking area, ready to get some exercise and ask Jordan questions about our newest trail project!
Thanks to a BRC conservation easement protecting 712 acres in the Brushy Mountains, children from across North Carolina can continue to renew their connection with the outdoors at Camp Harrison, a YMCA summer camp. With no state parks, game lands or other large protected tracts in the Brushies, this property constitutes the largest area of protected land in the Brushy Mountains.
Great Trails State Day hike at the Boone United Methodist Trail
BRC Adopt-a-Highway Fall Cleanup. Email sydney@blueridgeconservancy.org to sign up.
Title: Carolina’s Wild Butterflies: Identification and Monitoring
Host: Jeff Pippen, founder of the Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program (BMP)
Summary: This program will introduce you to North Carolina’s wild butterflies, how to identify them, and how to become a citizen-scientist butterfly monitor. Because insect populations are declining at alarming rates, long-term monitoring of butterfly populations across the Carolinas will provide valuable data for scientists and land managers. The Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring project is partnering with outreach and conservation programs across the Carolinas to teach the general public how to identify local butterflies and establish fun, easy-to-conduct surveys using standardized protocols where you can go for a walk and record the butterflies you see. Data are contributed to a national database for scientists to examine butterfly population trends across the continent.
Logistics: The workshop is designed to be about 2 hours long, with the first 50 minutes indoors with Jeff giving a powerpoint presentation. We then head outdoors for about 45 minutes to look for butterflies and mock up how to do a field survey. Finally we finish up back indoors with a 5-minute wrap up powerpoint about next steps.
Join naturalist Paul Laurent of Epic Nature Tours and the High Country Audubon Society for a Hawk Watch event on Peak Mountain. Bring a lunch, your binoculars, and a camp chair and watch the migration! RSVP to Leila Jackson - leila@blueridgeconservancy.org for details.
Come out to the Profile Trail parking area to celebrate Grandfather Mountain State Park's 15-year anniversary! We will have lots of activities and events to commemorate the day that the state park was authorized. Organizations attending will include:
Friends of State Parks to provide information about how to join and their current projects;
Blue Ridge Conservancy to discuss how to help preserve land and to explain the work they do with the NC Division of Parks and Recreation;
Mast General Store to teach about the Year of the Trail and Leave No Trace principles;
Footsloggers to help visitors find the correct shoe for their foot size and intended outdoor activity;
Linville-Central Rescue Squad to provide tips on staying safe in the wilderness and to discuss how search dogs are used by teams to find lost people or those unable to signal for help; and
REI to teach about the 10 essentials to carry when hiking and how to properly fit and pack a backpack.
It will be a great day for hiking and outdoor enthusiasts! Local musician John Dooley will be performing live. The first 100 visitors will receive a free lunch catered by the Carolina Barbeque of Newland. Grandfather Mountain State Park staff will also be leading programs and handing out free park swag!
We will be having a bird walk at the Blue Ridge Conservancy Conservation Campus at 416 Aho Rd on Friday, September 15 at 8:30am. The trail is 2.2 miles, and is a moderate hike. This is a great spot to look for migrating warblers this time of year. This is also a fantastic opportunity to see all of the work High Country Audubon Society has put into the pollinator meadow next to the trailhead.
BRC is proud to be involved with this event! See you at the aid station at Mile 12!
The Inaugural Hellbender Bike Ride will take place on Saturday September 9th, 2023. Riders can choose to participate in either the 30-mile or 70-mile route, or the Pond Mountain Challenge, each route starts and ends in Historic Downtown Lansing, NC.
Each route will take you through the backroads of the most scenic part of Ashe County, North Carolina. Riders will weave through the hills and hollars, past old tobacco barns and homesteads rich with history. With both paved and gravel roads, the terrain will be challenging but rewarding.
The 17th annual Headwaters Community Day Festival will return to Elk Knob State Park on August 26, 2023! Come talk to BRC staff about work on the Northern Peaks State Trail.
The Headwaters Community Day Festival serves as a meeting for people from the communities surrounding the park and visitors to celebrate the area's unique culture. The public is invited to bring a covered dish to share, as part of the High Country's largest potluck dinner!
Activities will start at 11 a.m. with music by local entertainers. Food will be served shortly after 12 p.m., and local crafters will be demonstrating their work at the park throughout the day.
This event is co-sponsored by the Elk Knob Community Heritage Organization.
Located on the southwestern slope of Sugar Mountain in Avery County, Camp Lutherock is now permanently protected after a decade long collaborative effort between BRC, the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and NovusWay Ministries. It is considered a Significant Natural Area by the NC Natural Heritage Program due to its unique ecological character. The camp hosts two endangered ecosystems, three endangered species, and numerous other rare species and high quality forests. It also contains headwater streams for the North Toe River and Sugar Creek, which provide excellent water resources and rich habitats for aquatic life.
Join us at the brewery every Tuesday for Locals’ Night, where everyone is treated like a neighbor. Locals Night Specials Include: $4 Pints $4 Ciders $5 High Gravity Beers.
On July 11, we'll be there to talk all things Middle Fork Greenway - be sure to try the Pineapple Picker cider - $1 of each pint sold in July goes to the MFG!
Old Orchard Creek is a historic, artisanal Appalachian blueberry and apple farm. This beautiful cove farm is on the National Register of Historic Places and is protected by a conservation easement donated to BRC. The farm is home to a restored 1880s farmhouse and numerous historic farm buildings. Old Orchard Creek was protected in partnership with the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and is a model for agricultural Best Management Practices. In 2010, the farm received an award from Preservation North Carolina for landscape protection.
BRC led the land acquisition effort and partnered with the State of N.C. to create the new Bear Paw State Natural Area. Managed by State Parks, Bear Paw is located on Hanging Rock Ridge, a Significant Natural Heritage Area. Important natural communities with rare and threatened plant species are located within this nationally significant area.
Join BRC staff and friends on a lovely High Country summer evening as we celebrate land conservation victories and look toward future plans for the Middle Fork Greenway, Northern Peaks State Trail, and BRC’s Conservation Campus.
We are excited to once again gather at The Mill at Rock Creek. Tickets go on sale May 9 at noon - make plans to spend an evening saving the places we all love!
Watauga County-
BRC led the way in protecting this Significant Natural Heritage Area. Created in 2002, the bog represents the first example of a southern Appalachian bog in the N.C. State Parks system.
Help us clean up the Conservation Campus and get it ready for summer fun!
This volunteer opportunity has been postponed until the weather cooperates. Stay tuned!
January 31, 5:15-6:30
Ashe Arts Center/Arts Council
303 School Ave, West Jefferson, NC
Make plans to join us Tuesday, January 31 for a public comment / question & answer session about plans for Paddy Mountain Park. Northern Peaks State Trail Director Jordan Sellers will be on hand to answer questions about the new park.
Blue Ridge Conservancy and West Jefferson are currently in the planning stages of creating Paddy Mountain Park. The park will be located on the recently protected 152 acres on Paddy Mountain and will include 2-4 miles of hiking trails and a Northern Peaks State Trail trailhead.
