Grandfather Mountain to become state park

Grandfather Mountain has long been a N.C. landmark, but now the mountain and the surrounding land will be preserved as part of a state park.

Gov. Mike Easley announced Monday that the state had agreed to purchase 2,601 acres of adjacent back country for $12 million from the Morton family-owned Grandfather Mountain, Inc.

The mountain will be managed by a nonprofit organization that will preserve the mountain and educate visitors about the surrounding environment.

“This is an extremely important habitat and we will take good care of it,” stated Gov. Mike Easley in a press release Monday.

“North Carolina will protect and preserve Grandfather Mountain forever.”

Grandfather Mountain has been passed down in the Morton family for years. They own a for-profit organization that has encouraged tourism of the mountain while conserving its unique ecology.

Crae Morton, the president of Grandfather Mountain, Inc., said they decided to sell the land because they can’t ensure that future generations will take care of it the way the family always has.

“Grandfather Mountain is too important to leave unprotected,” he said. “We can’t leave that kind of thing to chance.”

Morton said that he does not expect many changes in the way the land is managed because he will lead the organization that will manage Grandfather Mountain’s tourist attractions.

This purchase makes Grandfather Mountain North Carolina’s 34th state park. It will be funded with money raised through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, said Charlie Peek, public information officer for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.

It is becoming more common for N.C. to buy privately-owned land for conservation purposes, said Reid Wilson, executive director for the Conservation Trust for North Carolina.

Last year, the state purchased Chimney Rock, another landmark, and made it into a state park as well.

“It’s one of the really positive things about North Carolina that the state invests millions of dollars in conservation each year,” Wilson said. “In the southeast, there’s only one other state that invests more in land conservation, and that’s Florida.”

Grandfather Mountain is also an International Biosphere Reserve and is home to 16 distinct ecosystems. Because of this distinction, it is a popular site for scientific studies, which will continue under the state’s ownership, Morton said.

“If something occurs on the mountain, it’s often a good litmus test for greater forces in the background,” Morton said.

Although not much will change with the new ownership, the nature preserve will have new opportunities to apply for grant money and expand its education and conservation programs.

“Add on donations and the tax breaks you get as a nonprofit …on top of something that’s already working, so it’s just so exciting to see what we can do for the mountain,” Morton said.



Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.