Beckley, WV (WOAY) – The conservation group Arc of Appalachia secured a major win at a public land auction Tuesday at the Tamarack in Beckley, acquiring five tracts of forest along the New River Gorge, including two in the Piney Creek region that connects Beckley directly to the National Park.
The Arc paid $2.8 million for just over 2,000 acres, taking five of the eight tracts along the gorge offered at the auction, held by Woltz and Associates. Director Nancy Stranahan said the group walked out with more than it expected.
“I have a really upset stomach from two hours of negotiation, but I can’t tell you how thrilled we were,” Stranahan said. “We would have been satisfied if we walked out with three. We have five. We’re beyond elated.”
The two tracts along Piney Creek were the ones the Arc wanted most. The West Virginia Land Trust already maintains six miles of trail outside Beckley, and the newly acquired land closes a four-mile gap to the gorge.
“Having these tracts of land available to us will allow for a soft surface trail connection to be made from essentially downtown Beckley all the way to the New River Gorge National Park boundary,” said Mitch Lehman, Director of Outdoor Economic Development for the City of Beckley. “It’s something that’s been identified in plans going back as late as 2011. So this is a decade and a half in the making, and it’s a really tremendous conservation win for southern West Virginia in general.”
The West Virginia Land Trust was also part of the fundraising push. Executive Director Brent Bailey said the win is a major boost for outdoor recreation in Raleigh County.
“This extension from the Piney Creek Preserve up to the New River Gorge National Park is just a huge addition to the whole Beckley outdoors plan and their local economy, and creating this town as a recreation destination,” Bailey said. “It’s a game changer.”
The Arc plans to manage the larger tracts as nature preserves, while the proposed Piney Creek trail extension will be open to the public. With the land secured, the group’s focus shifts to paying for it, and to the hundreds of people who pledged money to make the purchase possible.
“It’s an exciting day, and it’s a win for conservation,” Stranahan said. “And what it shows, if we stick together, we don’t have to move mountains. We can keep them right where they are.”
