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On March 11, 2022, Three Rivers Land Trust (TRLT) purchased 210 acres of land in Montgomery County with the goal to expand the Uwharrie National Forest by transferring this tract to the United States Forest Service (USFS). The transfer is now complete, which provides the public with access to this property.

By transferring this property to the USFS, TRLT is carrying out its mission to expand public lands across the 15-county region they operate in. This project will connect two disjunct parcels of the national forest and protect the viewshed of the Uwharrie Trail. A unique man-made feature on this parcel is a trail shelter named “Crystal’s Place,” built by the Uwharrie Trailblazers. The trail shelter honors TRLT’s own Crystal Cockman for her work to reconnect the Uwharrie Trail and to conserve land in Uwharrie region. This shelter was partially funded by the Randolph EMC’s Sharing Success Community Grant and through an in-kind donation from Troy
Lumber.

“With the transfer of this tract, TRLT has added 495 acres to the public trust in 2022,” TRLT Executive Director Travis Morehead said. “Expanding public lands is a core tenant of who we are as an organization. This kind of work can only happen because of our members, who generously support our conservation efforts.”

“The Uwharrie region is extremely unique, which is why Three Rivers Land Trust has always had an interest in protecting it. From providing public access, to protecting wildlife species and local waterways, we know it is important to see to it that this area is permanently conserved. This project will do just that,” added TRLT Associate Director Crystal Cockman.

Fred and Alice Stanback contributed to this project.

A ribbon cutting will be planned in the near future to celebrate this new addition to the Uwharrie National Forest. Those details can be found at the TRLT website www.trlt.org.