Public-private partnerships adds land to Nature Conservancy’s Bluff Mountain Preserve

Durham, NC — December 18, 2007 — Unique Places LLC, a conservation real estate company that works to protect natural assets, and the N.C. chapter of The Nature Conservancy today announce the addition of 59 acres to the Conservancy’s Bluff Mountain Preserve. The 2126-acre preserve is located in Ashe County and is widely recognized as one of the most ecologically significant areas in the southeast.

The land is part of a 114-acre parcel located northeast of Bluff Mountain in Ashe County, and the two organizations worked together to protect the land from development. Unique Places purchased the entire parcel in May 2007 and sold the 59 acres to the Conservancy in November.

“This is the first time our organizations have worked together, and it was a real win-win project for both,” says Merrill Lynch, the Conservancy’s Assistant Director of Protection. “Development is slowly chipping away at the borders of Bluff Mountain Preserve. When this parcel was put on the market, the Conservancy was in the midst of a large transaction and did not have the time or financial resources to make an offer. So we approached Unique Places LLC and suggested they purchase the property. This saved the land from development and bought enough time for the Conservancy to purchase and protect it as an addition to our Bluff Mountain Preserve.”

The parcel is located on the low elevation of Bluff Mountain’s north slope. It features pristine, contiguous hardwood forests and stretches all the way to bottom of the mountain. Bluff is known for its beautiful floral displays that appear from April through October and feature Indian paintbrush, Gray’s lily, sundew and more than 25 endangered, threatened or rare plant species. It is also a critical nesting area for numerous bird species that migrate between North Carolina and the Caribbean. Among the mountain’s unique features is a southern Appalachian fen, which is a wetland situated at the top of a mountain. It is home to globally threatened bog turtles, the smallest turtle found in the United States.

Founded in 2004 and managed by partners with more than 25 years of combined land protection experience, Unique Places is a for-profit business that harnesses private funds to protect land that has a
high conservation value. Examples of conservation values include water quality and wildlife habitat. After assessing these values, the company then develops conservation strategies to preserve the land.

“Our goal is to protect land with high conservation value while uncovering the financial benefits of conservation,” says Founding Partner Guenevere Abernathy. “Our knowledge of land conservation practices and strong relationships with the land conservation community allow us to determine the best way to add value to land by harvesting its ‘conservation capital.’

Often this includes tax benefits and funding for conservation acquisitions, and if appropriate, sustainable development. At other times it is a buy-and-hold approach for future public lands. Ultimately, we are combining private funds and public tools to conserve land.”

Unique Places often partners with conservation organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, to achieve these goals. In this instance, the nonprofit expressed interest in the 59 acres once it went on the market, yet the sellers were unwilling to divide the 114-acre parcel. Unique Places was able to buy the land before it could be developed, then hold it until TNC raised the finds to purchase it.

Further evaluation of the land’s conservation value, a process led by Unique Places, showed the remaining 55 acres includes several additional tributaries to the North Fork of the New River, making it critical to the river’s water quality as well. Today both organizations are working with the High Country Conservancy, a land trust located in Boone, NC, to place the remaining acres under protection.

The Bluff Mountain property is not the first to be awarded conservation protection with help from Unique Places. The company provided expertise and funding to the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy as it worked to acquire contracts on three tracts totaling 289 acres. Carolina Mountain purchased the tracts earlier this year and plans to transfer them to the N.C. Department of Parks and Recreation for inclusion in the new Chimney Rock State Park by the end of 2007.

Unique Places also owns Bridal Cove, a 190-acre conservation development near Boone with nine home sites adjacent to more than 100 acres land designated for protection by future conservation easements.

Unique Places LLC is a conservation real estate company that matches investors with land conservation properties to harness permanent protection for natural and cultural resources. The company uses conservation strategies to preserve the unique natural assets that create a sense of place. For information contact or go to www.uniqueplaesllc.com

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. The North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and its 26,000 members have protected nearly 700,000 acres in the state. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/northcarolina.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.