Press release

from Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy

In early October, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) will co-host two free, informational workshops for landowners who are interested in learning more
about conservation options or repairing stream health on private properties.

On Thursday, October 4th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, SAHC and the Conservation Trust for North Carolina will co-host a workshop on conservation options for forest and farmland owners at the Blue Ridge
Parkway Visitor Center.

Speakers in the workshop will present conservation options, including conservation easements, for land, working forests and farms. They will discuss potential financial benefits, including federal and
state tax incentives, the importance of the region’s farms and forests, and land management planning & conservation practices. Local landowners will also comment on their experiences working with land
trusts to conserve their land.

A land trust is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works in partnership with landowners on voluntary projects to conserve working forests and farms, wildlife habitat, natural
areas, parks, and water quality. Land trusts assist landowners in developing strategies that meet the landowner’s long-term land management and conservation goals while realizing potential financial
benefits.

The following week, on Thursday, October 11th, SAHC will host a workshop on stream restoration and mitigation banking from 10 AM to 12 noon in the Alexander community of Buncombe County.

This one-hour presentation will give an overview of the benefits of a stream restoration and mitigation project. Speakers will outline income-earning potential, describe what type of stream would qualify, and
address what it takes to accomplish a mitigation bank project. Following the presentation, participants will have an overview of SAHC’s stream mitigation project with brief tour of site pre-construction.

The stream restoration workshop will be relevant to landowners, farmers, natural resource agency personnel that work with landowners, conservation organizations, land management contractors and
professionals, and anyone simply interested in the mitigation concept.

To register for the stream restoration & mitigation workshop, contact Allison Kiehl at (828) 253-0095 ext. 203 or allison@appalahcian.org by October 5, 2012. Both workshops are free an open to the public;
however, pre-registration is encouraged.

About Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy

The mission of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (a land trust) is to conserve the unique plant and animal habitat, clean water, local farmland and scenic beauty of the mountains of North
Carolina and east Tennessee for the benefit of present and future generations.

We achieve this by forging and maintaining conservation relationships with landowners and public agencies, owning and managing land, and working with communities to accomplish their conservation
objectives.