Press release from the Mainspring Conservation Trust:
Mainspring Conservation Trust recently received a $21,500 grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) towards the conservation of property known as Simp Gap.
Simp Gap is 504 acres in Graham County, of which nearly 80 percent is visible from many points along the Appalachian Trail. The property is also host to many significant natural resources, including the rare Cheoah salamander and significant riparian habitats.
The grant will help cover costs related to land conservation transactions and is made possible by the ATC with revenue from the North Carolina Appalachian Trail Specialty License Plate.
“We are grateful for the support we’ve received from the ATC for this project,” says Jordan Smith, Mainspring’s Land Conservation Manager. “Protecting the views for Appalachian Trail hikers is an important conservation initiative for Mainspring, and it’s fitting that people who care enough about the trail to purchase an AT license plate are helping to support our efforts.”
Established in 1925, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy leads the effort to protect, maintain and celebrate the Appalachian Trail. Part of a unique cooperative-management system, the ATC works with numbers of local, state and federal partners to ensure greater protections for the Trail.
Mainspring Conservation Trust is a regional nonprofit serving the six western-most counties in North Carolina and northern Rabun County, Georgia, dedicated to three core initiatives: conserving the land, restoring the water, and connecting people to the valuable natural and cultural heritage in the Southern Blue Ridge. Learn more at www.mainspringconserves.org. Contact Molly Phillips, Mainspring Conservation Trust communications coordinator, at mphillips@mainspringconserves.org or 828-524-2711 x 300 with additional questions.
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