It could so easily have been a vastly different, and exceedingly sad, story.
Bullhead Mountain has just been designated a new state natural area by the North Carolina General Assembly. And that is wonderful news.
But until very recently maps were circulating showing much of the ridgeline of this majestic landmark already platted into three-to-five-acre lots for development.
That this potential use did not -- and now cannot -- happen is testimony to how effective a concerted, focused preservation effort can be.
There are three reasons why Bullhead is so important.
The first, most obvious one is its beautiful physical presence, especially >from various sightlines along the Blue Ridge Parkway and from Stone Mountain State Park. Intensive development along the ridgeline would have significantly degraded the view.
Secondly, Bullhead has the potential to become one of the premier hawk-watching sites in eastern North America. Because of its topography and the pattern of updrafts, many species of hawks congregate overhead and pass close to the ridge where observers can view them exceptionally well.
Finally, Bullhead also has special meaning for area residents of eastern Alleghany and northern Wilkes counties by being the most visible feature on the skyline. They love looking at the hardwood forest -- a wonderful home to a wide variety of animals and birds -- rather than chalets and A-frames.
It was in 1997 that efforts first started to preserve Bulhead with inquiries about possible access to the summit for hawkwatching. This led to more general discussions with the two landowners of 220 critical acres: Marietta Stokes and Kimball Lawrence. Both expressed great interest in having their holdings preserved without development and agreed to sell them at a significant discount from fair market value.
In September of 1999, the Bullhead Mountain Project -- a joint effort of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust -- succeeded in acquiring options to purchase these two tracts. This allowed the formal fundraising campaign to begin.
The needed $500,000 -- and then some -- was raised in record time. About $75,000 came from individual contributions. The North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund provided $192,000 and another $304,000 was awarded to the Project by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
The state's Division of Parks and Recreation will now take over as lead agency for the Project, not only acquiring the Stokes and Lawrence tracts but also attempting to buy several additional contiguous tracts from willing sellers as funds are available.
Although final details are not yet completed, it seems likely that the Bullhead land will be leased to the North Carolina State Office of the National Audubon Society for management as a birding and hawkwatch site.