120 acres of ecologically diverse land in Brushy Mountains donated to conservancy

By Brittany Whitehead

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    TAYLORSVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Just before Christmas, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina received a generous conservation donation in Alexander County.

On Dec. 23, Larry Sorkin donated a 120-acre property he owns in the Brushy Mountains north of Taylorsville in Alexander County.

The conservancy said this property is geographically and ecologically diverse, and its conservation helps protect nearly a mile of headwater streams of Muddy Fork, which is a tributary of the Lower Little River in the Catawba River Basin.

The protected property is less than three miles from Rocky Face Mountain Recreational Area.

“For almost fifty years, this land has provided a home, a sense of place and no end of wonder,” said Sorkin, who has owned the property since 1974. “I’m grateful and want to return the favor by offering it the protection it deserves. I’m thankful that Foothills Conservancy is proving to be the perfect partner in achieving that end.”

Conservation easements are voluntary written agreements between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization, like Foothills Conservancy, in which the property owner promises to keep the land in its natural condition and restrict development and subdivision. The land trust then monitors the property over time according to the terms of the agreement.

“We deeply appreciate Larry’s commitment to environmental conservation,” said Foothills Conservancy Executive Director Andrew Kota. “This property has tremendous environmental value and will allow us to protect more of the Lower Little River and several peaks of the Brushy Mountains in Alexander County.”

Foothills Conservancy currently holds 28 conservation easements, permanently protecting 4,484 acres of land across its eight-county service region.

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