This is the time of year when lots of parents are sending their children off to summer camps.
Ah, to be young again … to swim in the cold mountain lakes, try for that bull’s eye in archery, fall in love with that really cute counselor….
What do summer camps and land trusts have in common?  A love of land and the natural world.
The Pacolet Area Conservancy partnered with Gwynn Valley Camp, in Brevard, N.C. in 1995 and its one of the projects PAC is most proud of.
The owners of the camp at the time were Howie and Betty Boyd and it was their dream to help enable the camp to continue far into the future and at the same time preserve the natural environment of the camp.
The grounds are home to several rare and endangered plants and even a unique spider. Three hundred acres are forever preserved, while 43 acres were intentionally left out of the easement so there would be room to build additional structures for the operation of the camp.
Anne and Grant Bullard are the new owners of Gwynn Valley Camp and fully support the conservation agreement.
“We are pleased to have our land protected and to know that Gwynn Valley will be home to many future generations of campers,” they said.
Located on the north-facing slope of Jim Raines Mountain, Gwynn Valley Camp is beautifully situated to the south of Pisgah National Forest, providing a natural viewshed for visitors to the National Forest.
The camp has a nearly 1,000-foot  elevation change and provides watershed protection for Carson Creek, a beautiful, cold mountain creek with a waterfall and cascades and is a tributary to the French Broad River.
With the varied elevation, north-facing orientation, and high moisture content, this property has a high diversity of native plant and animal species.
PAC’s Land Protection Specialist, Pam Torlina, has the privilege of monitoring this jewel each and every year and states,
“It is truly a treasure for those visiting the camp to have the opportunity to discover some of the things that make this property so special and to know that it will be preserved, for their children, and many generations come,” Torlina said.”
PAC is pleased to be the local land trust.
– article submitted by Mary Walter