Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2018 - 18

M O U N TA I N R E P O RT

COUGAR
is still extinct; 70 years gone

Compiled by CATHRYN MCCUE

WEST VIRGINIA:

DOLLY SODS GETS BIGGER
Almost 1,200 acres of the unique landscape of the Dolly Sods and Canaan Valley region have been purchased by The
Nature Conservancy. The tract borders the
conservancy's Bear Rocks Preserve, known
for its cool climate, windswept forests and
biological diversity. The acquisition will
double the preserve's area and expand
hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities. "The Allegheny Front property is a
biologically important gem and plays an
immense role in West Virginia's ability
to support and promote tourism, provide
drinking water and clean air to the eastern United States and stand as a resilient
stronghold for people and wildlife," said
the group's state director, Thomas Minney. nature.org/westvirginia

But should lands be restored to
accommodate the big cats?
The eastern cougar has been removed
from the nation's list of threatened species because, according to the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the big cat went
extinct some 70 years ago. The agency
reviewed more than 200 studies dating
back to 1900 and said no evidence has
emerged that cougars still live in the
eastern wilds. Some scientists, however,
maintain the eastern cougar is not a
separate subspecies, and hence the
agency "needs to develop a federal recovery plan for the entire historic range
of the North American cougar including the eastern U.S.," said Christopher
Spatz, president of the Cougar Rewilding
Foundation in 2016. fws.gov/news

PROTECTING HEIRLOOM SEEDS

PROTECTING VIRGINIA'S HIGHESTCONSERVATION-VALUE LANDS

Cherokee County farm gains easement.

Using a new strategy, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will
focus on preserving lands with the highest conservation value, prioritizing
the top 2 percent of such lands with a goal of protecting the top 10 percent
by 2028. Benefits include protecting local water quality, recovering wildlife
populations and habitats, making sure agriculture and forestry are sustainable,
steering development away from vulnerable areas, providing access to the outdoors, and preserving historical sites. "The Commonwealth's lands and waters
are among its most precious assets, and this is a smart approach to making
needed investments in their protection," said Locke Ogens, The Nature Conservancy's Virginia director. dcr.virginia.gov.

NORTH CAROLINA
The Mainspring Conservation Trust has easements on four farms in Cherokee County that
are helping protect heirloom seeds, including
the Long Family Farms and Gallery. The farm
is owned by Harold Long, a member of the
Cherokee tribe, and his wife Nancy, who plant
only vegetables passed down from the Eastern
Band of Cherokee. Sara Posey with the trust
says beyond the importance of preserving
horticulture history, maintaining a variety helps
protect the food supply, but the key is to share
the seeds. Recently, the University of North
Carolina-Asheville hosted a seed exchange. The
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association has a
similar program.

BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

Locke Ogens, director of
The Nature Conservancy in
Virginia, on protecting that
state's highest-conservationvalue lands: "This is a smart
approach."

http://www.fws.gov/news http://www.nature.org/westvirginia http://dcr.virginia.gov http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2018

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