Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC)

Over the past fiscal year we completed 15 major conservation transactions discussed below which protected 1,580 acres of key mountain lands. This includes 11 fee simple purchases, 2 conservation easement purchases, and 2 assist transaction. The total appraised value of the purchase transactions was $6.1 million. Landowner donation value was $1.9 million. The purchase price of the transactions was $5.4 million. At times the organization purchases land below appraised value in transactions that were not planned to be bargain purchases. In this tax year that difference totaled $0.2 million.

We continue to work toward our goals to Protect and Steward land, and to advance opportunities for access to land, in order to carry out SAHC's Vision and Mission.

The $5.4 million came in the form of private philanthropic contributions and federal and state grants. We are now working on more than 40 significant transactions, which we hope will protect another 12,000 acres in the next 12-18 months. Our Farmland Access Program supports local communities, local food production, and the long-term productive use of farmland. We work with different members of the farming community to ensure that our agricultural resources stay productive - providing local food from local farms.