News Release »
| Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor | Dee Freeman, Secretary |
| N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources |  |
| Release: Immediate | Contact: Charlie Peek | |
| Date: 2009-02-19 | Phone: (919) 715-8709 |
Mountain-to-Sea Trail Property Acquired in Alamance County
EDITORS: (View / download Image of Alamance County Route - pdf)
RALEIGH -- The Mountains-to-Sea Trail project has gained a firm
foothold in Alamance County with the acquisition of a 191-acre tract on
the Haw River dedicated to the trail, according to the N.C. Division of
Parks and Recreation.
The purchase was a joint effort of the state parks system and Alamance
County. Conservation of the property formerly owned by Lon Harris,
protects about 4,400 feet of river frontage and provides access to the
Haw River about four miles upstream of the county’s Indian Valley
access. Though owned by the state, the property will be managed by the
county as conservation and recreation land.
“This is a milestone in the creation of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in
central North Carolina,” said Lewis Ledford, director of the state
Division of Parks and Recreation. “We’ve known all along that creating
the trail wouldn’t be possible without partnerships of state and local
governments, volunteers and conservation groups. Alamance County has
been among the first to step forward and help us to see real progress.”
The N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund provided funding to the state
parks system for the land purchase. In 2008, the trust fund awarded a
matching grant directly to Alamance County to acquire other recreation
property on the Haw River within the Mountains-to-Sea Trail corridor.
Similar local grants have recently targeted trail development in
Guilford and Johnston counties.
“On behalf of the county of Alamance, we are very excited to be a part
of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail project,” said Linda Massey, chairwoman of
the Alamance County commissioners. “The Haw River is a vital resource
historically in Alamance County and especially in the small town of Haw
River. The creation of this trail can be very beneficial for many small
towns that the river runs through as more and more land is designated
and developed as recreational. We look forward to continuing our
partnership with the other counties involved in this project.”
Nearly half of the 1,000-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail has been dedicated,
most of that in western North Carolina on public lands. In 2001, the
trail was formally authorized as a unit of the state parks system, a
step that allows the state to acquire land for its development under the
direction of the division’s State Trails Program.
A broad partnership with the division and nine local governments in 2006
was formed to develop a Haw River trail, reaching nearly 70 miles from
Haw River State Park in Rockingham County to Jordan Lake. The
Mountains-to-Sea Trail will follow the same path for about half that
distance.
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