More than 35,000 acres conserved

Our Projects

Select a dot on the map to learn more about each project.

Our Projects
Wood Farm Greenway Extension Klatt Wetland Onion Mountain Judaculla Ridge/High Knob Cowee Viewsite Shut-In Creek King Meadows / Bee Knob Long Farm Rainbow Springs

Wood Farm

Cherokee County (2021 & 2022)
251 acres

The Wood Family Farm is a working farm in Cherokee County. Visible from Nantahala National Forest lands in the Snowbird and Valley River mountains, more than 81% of the soil is considered Prime Farmland Soil. The conservation project consisted of three separate easements funded through North Carolina ADFP Trust fund grants, as well as the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, The Conservation Trust for North Carolina, one private donor, and other unrestricted donations.

Project Link

Greenway Extension

Macon County (2017)
14 acres

Purchased from the Dills family in 2017, Mainspring received grants from Duke Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Tennessee Valley Authority to fund a much-needed restoration along the banks of Cartoogechaye Creek. The land was then conserved through a grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, allowing us to sell it to the Town of Franklin in 2022 at a bargain price. The town worked with the county to extend the Little Tennessee Greenway to the Macon County Rec Park and re-route the Blue Ridge Bartram Trail off busy roads for the safety of hikers.

Project Link

Klatt Wetland

Macon County (2021)
46 acres

Located in Macon County and split by Highway 28, one side of this property has a 22-acre wetland tract with 1,830 feet of river frontage, while across the road more than 24 acres of forested upland will remain intact. It was the largest remaining unconserved wetland on the free-flowing section of the Little Tennessee River. 

Project Link

Onion Mountain

Macon County (2021)
620 acres

The Onion Mountain projects was added to Mainspring’s public properties after a couple purchased the property and gifted it to Mainspring so it will remain a forever-wild place to explore. As a forested spot at a higher elevation – its peak is 3,480 feet – the natural beauty and biodiversity will offer a different example of what people will see at our publicly-accessible properties. Eventually a two-mile hiking trail will be formed using the current primitive road.

Project Link

Judaculla Ridge/High Knob

Jackson County (2021)
30 acres

Full of pristine and picturesque aquatic habitat, the two projects are both inholdings surrounded by U.S. Forest Service Land that Mainspring purchased just after they were listed for sale. Located within Mainspring’s Upper Tuckasegee Conservation Focus Area in Caney Fork Valley, the property has cultural value as home to the legend of Judaculla, and protects important headwater streams and natural resources.

Project Link

Cowee Viewsite

Macon County (2010)
7 acres

Directly across the Little Tennessee River from Cowee Mound, this viewsite sits on conserved land created through four acquisitions purchased between 2010 and 2014. In 2007, a conservation project spearheaded by Mainspring culminated in the return on the mound and its surrounding property to Cherokee ownership.

Project Link

Shut-In Creek

Jackson County (2019)
470 acres

Part of a major, 912-acre conservation project in collaboration with The Conservation Fund, Town of Sylva and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, this property borders Sylva’s Pinnacle Park (that Mainspring helped conserve in 1999) and is part of the Waterrock Knob and Blue Ridge Parkway Focus Area.

Project Link

King Meadows / Bee Knob

Graham County (2017)
935 acres

One of the most biologically diverse places in western North Carolina, the 770-acre King Meadows property was purchased from a private owner in 2017. Mainspring combined the property with the adjacent 105-acre Bee Knobs tract in 2020 under a conservation easement with the State of North Carolina.

Project Link

Long Farm

Cherokee County (2019)
32 acres

The Long Farm is an organic operation that specializes in heirloom and heritage varieties of produce and livestock. Seated along an old trading path that was part of the Trail of Tears route, the farm was conserved as a result of the 2014 Farm Bill, which awarded funds for the conservation of important farmland in western North Carolina.

Project Link

Rainbow Springs

Macon County (2019)
815 acres

This property is part of a larger node of privately conserved properties totaling 2,619 acres near or bounded by Nantahala National Forest. Located within the property is Rainbow Springs Marsh, a bog wetland that is so unique it’s included in the Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge. Approximately 85% of the property is within the viewshed of the Appalachian Trail.

Project Link

Stewards of the Southern Blue Ridge

Nestled within some of the oldest mountains on earth, the Southern Blue Ridge is rich in beauty, history and biodiversity. Its splendor has drawn people here for centuries, but rapid growth is placing increasing pressure on the landscapes that define it. Without thoughtful planning, the natural resources and cultural heritage that shape this region are at risk. Mainspring is the land trust serving this mountain region, working across the six far-west counties in North Carolina and into northeast Georgia. Our goal is to conserve these special places for the benefit of all.

A story of land, water and culture

Since our story began in 1997, Mainspring Conservation Trust has helped conserve more than 31,000 acres in the Southern Blue Ridge – from native trout streams and family farms, to wildlife habitat and culturally significant landscapes.

We partner with landowners to conserve their land through voluntary easements, restore streambanks for clean water, and open our preserves to connect people to nature. And our education and citizen science programs inspire hundreds of adults and kids to care for the lands and waters that sustain us.

We need land and clean water. For food. For drink. For places to play, explore, and exercise. For trails and wild places where children can roam. We need the stories the land holds to help understand who we are. And we need the beauty of the land, because it reminds us of the world we want to pass on.

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a real, lasting impact

Discover land management choices that can provide tax incentives, continued use of the land, and peace of mind while benefiting you, your heirs, and our region. It is our privilege to work with landowners on a voluntary basis to find the right conservation project for their goals.

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