U.S. Forest Service acquires 49-acre tract of land in Nantahala National Forest

The U.S. Forest Service has acquired a 49-acre inholding at the headwaters of Laurel Creek, a tributary to Fires Creek, in the Tusquitee Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest, the agency said in a news release. The tract was privately owned before it was purchased by Mainspring Conservation Trust in 2017.

The protected parcel includes a section of the Rim Trail, a 25-mile foot and horse path. Acquisition of the property also helps ensure clean water through the protection of the headwaters of Fires Creek, Laurel Creek and Phillips Creek that flow into the Hiwassee River Basin, the primary source of drinking water for residents in North Carolina and Georgia. 

America’s national parks remain overwhelmingly white

As our country grapples with the realities of systemic racism, new government data confirms that the country’s national parks remain overwhelmingly white,