Southeastern Fishes Council
SFC Announcements
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Needmore Tract Secured at Little Tennessee River
After nearly three years of study, discussions with The
Nature Conservancy and plenty of lobbying from residents, Crescent
Resources has reached an agreement to sell more than 4,600 acres in Macon
and Swain Counties, North Carolina, for a little more than $19 million.
Crescent Resources announced Wednesday December 4, 2002, that it accepted a
letter of intent to purchase the land, known as the Needmore property, from
the North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. TNC is acting on
behalf of the state. The land will be transferred to the state and managed
as game land by the Wildlife Resources Commission.
TNC and the State have 12 months to come up with the money and close the
deal. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted $2 million toward the
project back in August from its Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program.
The Wildlife Resources Commission is also seeking about $13 million in
grant money from the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
While the Needmore Tract is recognized throughout North Carolina and the
nation as an area of exceptional biological significance, locally it is
also recognized as the heart of the rural communities of Macon and Swain
Counties. Today's announcement will protect both the biological resources
as well as the rural communities along the Little Tennessee River.
The Needmore Tract buffers one of the best remaining examples of what
Southern Appalachian rivers should look like. In fact, the Little
Tennessee River through the Needmore Tract still contains its full
complement of original species - the only major river in the Blue Ridge to
do so. Other Needmore superlatives include:
- 27 miles of Little Tennessee River frontage, over half of the river
between Franklin and Lake Fontana
- 37 miles of tributary streams, more of which are being documented to
provide habitat for the spotfin chub during late summer/fall
- Half of all the native freshwater fish species in NC, including the
spotfin chub, the "sicklefin" redhorse, and olive darter.
- The greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in the state, including
the Appalachian elktoe and littlewing pearlymussel
- Critical wildlife habitat in the wetlands and forests surrounding the
river
- Keystone to the forested corridor connecting the Nantahala and Cowee
Mountain ranges, providing pathways for black bears and other migrating
wildlife
For additional information, check out the web page for The Land Trust for
The Little Tennessee at http://www.ltlt.org/
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