High Country conservancies partner to acquire land affected by Helene

A new High Country partnership is giving landowners whose undeveloped property was flooded by Helene an option to sell it for conservation purposes.

The Blue Ridge and New River conservancies are working with state and federal grant programs as well as relevant foundations to create opportunities for landowners.

New River Conservancy’s Executive Director Andrew Downs says he wants property owners to know the partnership may be able to buy their land at market rate if damage from Helene has changed their minds about developing it.

“I think if somebody was looking to put a couple houses in the floodplain, and then saw what happened to other houses that that were similarly positioned, they might be looking for alternatives," he says. "And we want to make sure that folks know that conservation is one of those competitive alternatives.”

Downs says conserving the land will safeguard water quality and increase access for recreational activities. 

He says preservation efforts often include adding what are known as riparian buffers — deep-rooted plantings along the waterway — which could lessen the damage from future floods.