More great news for Ashe County and the Amphibolite Mountain range in the area. The Blue Ridge Conservancy has successfully purchased 152 acres on Paddy Mountain, adjacent to 445 acres of a protected area managed by the NC Plant Conservation Program. The area, known as the Paddy Mountain Preserve, may eventually be part of the Northern Peaks Trail – a 40-mile hiking trail that will be built from Boone to West Jefferson. (and pass near our place!)
Paddy Mountain is protected for its unique ecosystem and home to the rare Heller’s Blazing Star (Liatris helleri) which grows only on rock outcroppings near the top of the mountain. The purchase is part of an ongoing effort since 2014 to own tracts of land on Paddy Mountain.
Congrats to the Blue Ridge Conservancy and its partners for continuing to protect these beautiful mountains in northwestern NC. Read more here.