0325-GCG-FoothillsConservancy_ESG25_12-18 (2) - Flipbook - Page 29
Shane Prisby
Trails Program Director
Pathways and
Preservation
The mission of the FCNC Trails Program is to connect
people with the special places across our region.
Many of these places are well known and well loved
by residents and visitors alike. Lake James State Park,
Chimney Rock State Park, Wilson Creek, and Catawba
Falls are major destinations where people make lasting
memories and deepen their connection with the natural
world. These are cultural touchstones in Western North
The recovery process brought our community
Carolina, landscapes so iconic that we can easily forget
together to rebuild and restore our special places
they were not always accessible to the public.
as FCNC staff collaborated with state and federal
agencies, local volunteers, and even the U.S. Army to
FCNC has spent 30 years advocating for the creation
and protection of publicly accessible spaces, a vision
reopen lands and trails for public recreation.
that was clear from the organization’s inception when
It also brought opportunity, and an in昀氀ux of resources
a small group of passionate individuals set about
for recovery launched new projects alongside existing
protecting the South Mountains. Their dedication drew
efforts. Trail access was restored, paused projects
others, multiplying their impact, and South Mountains
resumed, and new initiatives began. Partnerships like
State Park is now the largest state park in North
the one FCNC shares with the Overmountain Victory
Carolina, serving as a major destination for people
National Historic Trail allowed us to help the National
seeking a connection to the land.
Park Service direct funding to trail communities in need.
Protecting the landscape, its resources, and its special
This year’s impact report is special—not only because
places has never been easy or more important. Since
of our milestone anniversary, but because it highlights
FCNC’s early work in 1995, the region has seen growth,
what this organization is truly about. Our innovative and
economic shifts, and unprecedented challenges. The
caring staff work tirelessly to acquire and steward new
pandemic in 2020 brought more people than ever to
lands, raise critical funding, and create spaces that
natural spaces, sparking major investments in outdoor
connect people with nature, and our Trails Program
infrastructure. This renewed attention to parks, trails,
provides a window into the landscapes we protect.
and boat launches spurred an organizational focus
Like all of FCNC’s work, we are not only thinking about
on both restoration work and developing new projects.
today, but the future. We are in the forever business;
Then, in the fall of 2024, Hurricane Helene dramatically
the decisions we make today will have lasting impacts
reshaped the landscape.
long after we are gone, and in that spirit, the Trails
Helene’s damage was widespread, erratic, and
Program will continue to design and build trails with
indiscriminate. Some areas saw little effect, while others
care and intention.
became almost unrecognizable; tangled trees and
scoured riverbanks marked many landscapes. People
needed a place to come together and heal—nature
provides that space, and trails are the key to access.
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