0325-GCG-FoothillsConservancy_ESG25_12-18 (2) - Flipbook - Page 32
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
Overmountain
Victory National
Historic Trail
FCNC is partnered with the Overmountain Victory
National Historic Trail (OVT), one of only 19 designated
National Historic Trails in the country, to disseminate
congressionally appropriated funding that will help
communities with OVT trail segments recover from the
destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene.
The OVT commemorates the 1780 march of the
Overmountain Men, patriot militia from Virginia,
Tennessee, and North Carolina, who united to repel
British Loyalist forces during the Revolutionary War.
Their victory marked a turning point in the 昀椀ght for
independence, but this history was largely forgotten
until the 1970s when a group of citizens recreated
the march to raise awareness. In September 1980,
Congress of昀椀cially designated the route as a National
Historic Trail, and later that year, President Jimmy
Carter signed the law, exactly 200 years after the
original march.
Since its designation, sections of the OVT have been
built and certi昀椀ed along the historical route. Many
of these trail segments were severely damaged by
the winds and 昀氀ooding of Hurricane Helene. In some
areas, trees were uprooted, tearing up sections of trail;
in others, 昀氀ooding scoured away paths or buried them
beneath debris.
In the aftermath of the storm, Congress appropriated
$980,000 in relief funding—the 昀椀rst time disaster
a competent partner with multilocal connections
and boots-on-the-ground knowledge to manage
distributing nearly $1 million. They reached out to FCNC.
Disbursing the funding requires FCNC to work outside
its service area and across state lines. Community
requests for support recounted heartbreaking stories
of loss, often accompanied by photos of twisted
trees and 昀氀ood-scarred trails. The town of Roan
Mountain, TN, was hit particularly hard. Without a
parks department, their OVT trail segment in Eric
Anderson Park along the Doe River was built and
maintained entirely by community volunteers. The
river swelled during the storm, ripping up the trail,
decimating the community garden, and destroying
park infrastructure. This small park, a central gathering
space for the town, became almost unrecognizable.
Together, NPS and FCNC staff prioritized projects such
as the one in Roan Mountain and began distributing
trail restoration funding to affected communities
this year. Another partner, Equinox Environmental, an
Asheville-based design consulting 昀椀rm, is providing
technical support for several OVT recovery efforts,
including a design plan for Roan Mountain that
will allow the community to pursue larger funding
opportunities to rebuild its trail and restore its beloved
supplemental funding was approved for a National
community park.
Historic Trail—to offer 昀椀nancial assistance to
The ongoing recovery efforts post-Hurricane Helene
communities that otherwise would not be able to
afford to repair their local trail segments.
Although the OVT is part of the National Trails System,
NPS does not own or directly manage it. The trail is
built and maintained by a network of state and local
governments, nonpro昀椀ts, and community groups.
Because of this decentralized structure, NPS needed
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have challenged the region to do what we can,
where we can, when we can. Thanks to the continued
support of our partners, donors, and community, FCNC
is proud to extend that philosophy, helping not only in
our immediate service area, but our broader region
when they need it most.
