Preservation in the News

Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County will soon be a bit bigger, about four-tenths of an acre to be exact.

The Piedmont Land Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in Greensboro, bought the small tract last month from Stokes County, with plans to turn it over to the state, conservancy officials said.

The conservancy bought the land for about $5,300. It was sold at auction because the owners owed the county taxes on it.

Kevin Redding, the land conservancy’s executive director, said that even though the parcel is small, the purchase helps protect the park.

“It is significant in that it was a part of the park where some minor development could take away from what the park offers, so we’re happy to help them out,” Redding said.

“Being a nonprofit, we’re in a unique position where we can act quickly on these things,” he said.

“We work with the state a lot around state parks to facilitate these things. We will hold it until the state park takes it over.”

The state plans to take over the land within a few months, Redding said.

The Piedmont Land Conservancy is dedicated to preserving natural and scenic land, farms and open spaces in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina.

The organization often buys small pieces of land and turns them over to the state for preservation, officials said.

The conservancy has protected more than 13,200 acres, according to its Web site.

Thousands of people visit Hanging Rock each year for such activities as boating, fishing, hiking, camping, picnicking and swimming.

Jimmy Walker, the vice chairman of the Stokes County Board of Commissioners, said that land preservation is important for the county.

“I think it’s good to preserve green areas, particularly as a part of parks,” Walker said. “One of the best assets our good Lord has blessed Stokes County with is Hanging Rock State Park.

“Anything that can improve it, adding land, even a small parcel like this one, is good,” he said. “We want to find ways to even build on what we already have with all these folks coming to our county.

“We’d like to find them more things to do and more reasons to stay longer with us when they do visit.”