| Rutherford/Henderson Counties
- State Funding for Conservation Projects in Rutherford/ Henderson County (aka "Green Book" data)
- Example of conservation projects in Rutherford/Henderson Counties funded with state trust fund money:
Hickory Nut Gorge State Park
A waterfall plummets 350 feet, splashing and tumbling over rocky outcrops. The land drops away, revealing views that some say are the most beautiful in North Carolina. This is World’s Edge—1,568 acres of sparkling creeks, sheer cliffs, forested slopes and dramatic scenery. World’s Edge is nestled in Hickory Nut Gorge, overlooking Lake Lure. The gorge’s 10-mile-long canyon overflows with rare flowers, forest communities, bats, salamanders, peregrine falcons and flocks of songbirds migrating to and from the tropics.
The Nature Conservancy and the Carolina Mountain Lands Conservancy helped secure the property, and funds from three trust funds in addition to private donations will allow the NC Division of Parks and Recreation to create a new state park at Hickory Nut Gorge State Park. In 2005, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund awarded $5.9 million, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund $3.9 million, the Natural Heritage Trust Fund $3.9 million toward the $16 million cost of this project. | |
