Grant Recipients to Forward Conservation of the Appalachian Trail Landscape

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), on behalf of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership, is excited to announce the recipients of the 2022-2023 Wild East Action Fund grants. Seven projects were awarded Land Protection Grants that will help protect essential drinking water sources, critical climate-resilient habitats, and invaluable scenic views within the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Landscape. Three innovative projects were awarded Conservation Planning Support Grants aimed at strengthening our partners’ abilities to enhance land protection and conservation efforts across the landscape. These projects ranged from expanding collaborative GIS capabilities to engaging local municipal governments.

Since 2018, the Wild East Action Fund has supported a variety of land protection and organizational capacity-building projects that have accelerated the pace of conservation within the A.T. Landscape. This funding opportunity is available to conservation organizations, including nonprofit partners and public agencies, that support the mission of the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership.

Land Protection Projects

Berks Nature
Pine Creek Headwaters

Berks Nature’s Pine Creek Headwaters land protection project will establish a conservation easement on 322 acres of forested and agricultural land on Second Mountain in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Second Mountain is a dominant feature of the A.T. Landscape through this section of Pennsylvania — by protecting it, the WEAF is helping to protect the character and integrity of the landscape.

“Berks Nature is glad to receive funding from the WEAF to support the acquisition of a conservation easement safeguarding one of the forested headwater streams of the Schuylkill River Watershed on Second Mountain,” said Sarah Chudnovsky, Land Protection Specialist for Berks Nature. “Second Mountain is a part of the Kittatinny Ridge Landscape in Pennsylvania and is home to a diverse range of habitats critical to climate resilience and wildlife migration. Second Mountain is a treasured landmark visible along the Appalachian Trail in Schuylkill County. Much of this part of the Appalachian Trail viewshed remains privately owned, and the decisions of local landowners determine the future of the landscape. Conservation easements are a vital tool for landowners seeking to protect their land in perpetuity, and this Wild East Action Fund grant helps move this easement project forward at a critical time in the process.”

 Learn more about Berks Nature at www.berksnature.org.

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Dutchess Land Conservancy
A.T. Corridor Easement Acquisition

The goal of this A.T. Corridor Easement Acquisition project is to acquire a permanent conservation easement to protect a 71-acre parcel in the Town of Beekman, located in southern Dutchess County, New York. The A.T. runs east to west just 2,000 feet south of the property’s southern boundary. The easement will extinguish subdivision rights and permit public access across a portion of the property, connecting two isolated parcels of federal land, and providing a potential trail connection between the A.T. and the 800-acre West Mountain State Forest to the north.

“We are thrilled to be working on this conservation easement which will serve as a buffer to the Appalachian Trail, provides protection of a block of nearly 2,500 acres of contiguous forest, and springs that contribute to local drinking water supply,” said Becky Thornton, President of Dutchess Land Conservancy. “Thank you to the Wild East Action Fund for support to purchase a conservation easement to conserve a critical portion of this important connecting landscape. This contribution will enable us to leverage additional state funding opportunities for forest conservation to complete the project.”

Learn more about Dutchess Land Conservancy at www.dutchessland.org.

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NDPonics
Onkyayun Maduki Project

NDPonics is a nonprofit in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia working on a wide range of projects benefiting indigenous peoples of the area. NDPonics works to build indigenous self-reliance and traditional ecological havens through land conservation, cultural rejuvenation, enabling food production, renewable energy installation, and energy efficiency. The WEAF award will help protect 116 acres in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

“The Wild East Action Fund will enable NDPonics to purchase a mountain peak that has been used in traditional ceremonies since time immemorial,” said Lucas “Swampdog” Tyree, Executive Director of NDPonics. “Through Anthro-forestry, our indigenous scientific practice of increasing carrying capacity and biodiversity serves our livelihood as much as the ecosystem of which we are a part. With great pride, we will now be able to reinstate these practices on these lands.”

Learn more about NDPonics at www.ndponics.org.

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Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Belview Mountain (Phase 2)

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) was awarded a WEAF land protection grant to help close the gap on SAHC’s 125+ acre, Belview Mountain (Phase 2) project.

“Protecting Belview Mountain has taken a generation,” said Jay Leutze, Executive Director at SAHC. “Once threatened by a 99-year mining lease, Appalachian Trail hikers flooded North Carolina’s office of surface mining to object to the destruction of this part of the iconic viewshed from Hump Mountain. The permit was revoked, but threats remained until now.”

The Belview Mountain project is a story that encapsulates how the A.T. community can catalyze and rally behind land protection that stretches beyond the congressionally designated Appalachian National Scenic Trail corridor.

“The A.T. is more than a trail, it is also an experience,” said Leutze. “Unless we buy or otherwise protect the peaks in the immediate vicinity of Trail, the experience will be vulnerable to the sights and sounds of civilization.”

Learn more about the protection of Belview Mountain and the Roan Highlands in “Standing Tall,” part of the acclaimed myATstory series.

Learn more about the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy at www.appalachian.org.

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Sheffield Land Trust
Sheffield-Egremont Agricultural, Ecological, and Scenic Corridor (Phase 5)

Sheffield Land Trust’s WEAF land protection award will help permanently conserve four properties totaling over 100 acres of forest and fields essential to the ecological resiliency, agricultural health, and rural character of the A.T. Landscape in Northwest Sheffield and Southeast Egremont.

“The Sheffield Land Trust is grateful to the ATC for making an early investment in this fifth phase of our Sheffield-Egremont Agricultural, Ecological and Scenic Corridor project through this Wild East Action Fund grant,” said Kathy Orland, Executive Director of Land Protection at Sheffield Land Trust. “The grant’s goal, in seeking to accelerate the pace of conservation within the A.T. landscape, is a perfect match with our project goal to do the same in this crucial microcosm of that landscape.  Protecting this tapestry of fields, forests, streams, uplands and wetlands in the corridor will ensure that future generations will continue to benefit from this thriving resilient landscape of productive farms, wildlife corridors, healthy ecosystems, clean water, stunning vistas, retained heritage, and the local economies and communities they all support.”

Learn more about the Sheffield Land Trust at www.sheffieldland.org.

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Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Bald Cap Mountain Forest

The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests will conserve over a thousand acres in New Hampshire that borders the A.T. corridor.

“The Forest Society is pleased to work with The Conservation Fund to permanently conserve the 1,030-acre Bald Cap Mountain Forest in Shelburne, New Hampshire,” said Brian Hotz, Vice President of Land Conservation at the Forest Society. “The project shares 2.6 miles of boundary with the Appalachian Trail and contains beloved local recreational trails to Middle Mt., Bald Cap Peak, Giant Falls, and the historic Peabody Brook Trail — a former segment of the A.T. until 1976. Receiving the grant from the Wild East Action Fund will help us to secure the required match to state grant funding awarded to the project.”

This project builds on decades of community-led collaborative conservation efforts surrounding the A.T. in the Mahoosuc Range and protects the Trail experience by eliminating the risk of development on this property.

Learn more about the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests at www.forestsociety.org.

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The Conservation Fund
Copley Branch Project

The Copley Branch Project includes two parcels within the viewshed of the A.T. and is considered a top conservation priority for the Cherokee National Forest. The Conservation Fund (TCF) is working with The Nature Conservancy to secure funding and have Cherokee National Forest as the ultimate owner.

“This small but mighty land acquisition project will really protect the character of the A.T., Big Laurel Branch Wilderness Area, and Cherokee National Forest,” said Ralph Knoll, Tennessee State Director at TCF. “Not only is this land within the A.T. viewshed, but it also supports preferred habitats for terrestrial species designated as ‘Greatest Conservation Need’ nearby. We and our partners at The Nature Conservancy are thrilled to receive this support from ATC to continue our ongoing work securing important land in eastern Tennessee for wildlife and recreation.”

Learn more about The Conservation Fund at www.conservationfund.org.

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Conservation Planning Support Projects

Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Building a Geospatial Model to Implement a Strategic Conservation Plan

Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) is currently creating a Strategic Conservation Plan to guide its land protection and conservation work over the next five years. BNRC is responding to the needs of the natural and human communities in Berkshire County and prioritizing those needs for land conservation. The WEAF’s Conservation Planning Support grant will be used to build a geospatial model that will allow BNRC to weigh these priorities on both a parcel-by-parcel and landscape scale.

“With assistance from the Wild East Action Fund, BNRC is enhancing its evidence-based approach to land conservation by prioritizing key areas within the Berkshires that align with our strategic planning objectives,” said Adam Galambos, Director of Technology at BNRC. “These objectives include connecting conservation landscapes to support climate adaptation and resiliency for wildlife, plants, and people.”

Learn more about the Berkshire Natural Resources Council at www.bnrc.org.

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The High Peaks Alliance
High Peaks Initiative Partners Collaborative Conservation Project

The High Peaks Initiative is a collaboration of local, regional, and national organizations working in the High Peaks Region of Maine.

“Our mission is to protect important natural resources, secure public access, and support healthy human and natural communities in Maine’s High Peaks,” said Brent West, Executive Director of the High Peaks Alliance. “We are excited to continue our work, moving from inventorying the region’s expansive recreation network to creating a plan to drive our collaborative work. The Wild East Action Fund’s grant to support this project is the next step on the trail to achieving this vision.”

Learn more about the High Peaks Alliance at www.highpeaksalliance.org.

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Williamstown Rural Lands
Impact Assessment Informs a Way Forward for a Local Land Trust

Williamstown Rural Lands’ (WRL) project is designed to tell an inclusive and inspiring story of one land trust’s conservation impact in the A.T. Landscape that will affect shifts in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards conservation among the diverse members of our communities. The first step in this process is taking stock of the impact that WRL has had to date through data collection, analysis, and reporting. The second step is to begin systematic data analysis that will help track the progress on conservation impact goals that are linked to our strategic objectives. Finally, WRL will extend its reach to underserved segments of its communities to help foster an appreciation for and support the engagement of nature conservation.

“The WEAF award provides the resources to gather and analyze data on program attendance and trail use, and — so importantly — on how people value access to nature and what barriers they encounter,” said Dana Williams, WLT’s Program Director. “Ultimately, we aim to welcome communities in the A.T. landscape that might not yet feel like they belong in the outdoors.”

Learn more about Williamstown Rural Lands at www.rurallands.org.

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The Wild East Action Fund is a key part of the ATC’s mission to protect, manage, and advocate for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, which includes the surrounding lands that are inherent to innumerable benefits these lands provide for us all. Learn more about this work and how you can get involved at appalachiantrail.org/landscape.