Last Updated on October 20, 2026 3:43 pm
The N.C. Land and Water Fund has awarded grants for projects in Ashe County that would add to Three Top Mountain Game Land and protect land at Phoenix Mountain Preserve, part of more than $28 million in grants announced statewide Friday by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The fund’s Board of Trustees approved the awards Oct. 1. Statewide, the grants will protect more than 10,000 acres, most of which will eventually be open to the public for hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, birding and other recreation. More than $22 million will go to rural and economically distressed counties.
Funded projects in the High Country
- Ashe County, Three Top Mountain Game Land: $104,000 to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for the Price Tract.
- Ashe County, Phoenix Mountain Preserve: $1,580,055 to The Nature Conservancy for the Autry Tract.
Statewide, the grants will add 1,885 acres to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission game lands in Ashe, Cherokee, Graham and Rowan counties.
Provisional awards
The Land and Water Fund also lists provisional awards, which are made pending revenue that may become available before July 1, 2027. The fund says provisional awards are not a guarantee of funding. Several High Country projects are on that list:
- Ashe County, Big Branch Tracts (future game land): $1,631,400 to Three Rivers Land Trust.
- Ashe County, Phoenix Mountain Preserve: $854,985 to The Nature Conservancy for the Milam Tract.
- Ashe County, New River State Park: $337,300 to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation for the South Fork Tracts.
- Ashe County, New River: $101,400 to Blue Ridge RC&D for Todd Island Park Phase 4, a restoration project.
- Watauga County, Tater Hill: $187,700 to Blue Ridge Conservancy for the Pruess Tract.
Nearby counties
Funded projects in neighboring counties include $274,364 to the Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District for Mulberry Creek restoration at Painter Lane in Wilkes County, $207,680 to Blue Ridge RC&D for Grassy Creek Phase 2 in Mitchell County, and $916,548 to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for the Georges Fork Headwaters in Yancey County.
Statewide awards
“Every year, millions of residents and visitors enjoy North Carolina’s abundance of beautiful natural resources,” said Gov. Josh Stein. “This funding will help us conserve those resources and protect clean drinking water for communities across the state.”
The announcement funds nine projects to restore or enhance more than five miles of streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries, restore more than 900 acres of impaired wetlands, and reconnect more than 200 miles of spawning habitat in the Cape Fear River and its tributaries. It also includes five innovative stormwater projects and 18 planning projects to identify water quality and conservation opportunities in watersheds across the state. The grants also include $5,233,630 to protect more than 2,315 acres as buffers near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Grants awarded will help protect 68 types of rare plants, rare animals and natural communities, including high-elevation species endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains such as Roan Mountain bluet, spreading avens and northern pygmy salamander.
“The Land and Water Fund plays a vital role in protecting North Carolina’s water quality, open spaces, and treasured cultural heritage,” said DNCR Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell.
“We had some really tough choices to make this year,” said Ann Browning, chair of the Land and Water Fund Board of Trustees. “There were over $90 million in requests for funding, but we had under $30 million to award. There were so many great projects we just weren’t able to fund.”
The fund receives direct appropriations from the N.C. General Assembly to award grants to local governments, state agencies and nonprofits to help finance projects that restore and protect the state’s natural and cultural resources. A complete list of 2026 awards is available on the North Carolina Land and Water Fund website.
