The Fayetteville Observer
Buy land, they’re not making it anymore. That’s a bit of the wisdom from Mark Twain that North Carolina is heeding. The state is buying Grandfather Mountain and an additional 2,600 acres of undeveloped land from the heirs of the late Hugh Morton.
The $12 million deal provides the state a conservation easement on the 600-acre park area. The state’s purchase will keep the land and its wildlife habitat from becoming spoiled by developers or overuse.
Gov. Mike Easley said having the opportunity to preserve the mountain is “mind-boggling.”
“It will all be preserved forever,” Easley said. “This is great for the state.”
It is great for the state, and the governor should be lauded for making preservation a priority. Taxpayers also should be thankful that the Morton family, which owned the land, chose to sell it to the state. It’s likely they could have sold the property for millions more to developers, but chose instead to take a route that would preserve the mountain forever.
Hugh Morton acquired the mountain in 1952 from his grandfather. Morton built the original “Mile-High Swinging Bridge” across a ravine and turned the mountain into a tourist attraction. The popular bridge and museum are included in the purchase.
Morton also challenged the National Park Service when it revealed plans to route the Blue Ridge Parkway over the top of Grandfather. Morton feared the planned roadway would render the mountain nothing more than a molehill.
At 5,946 feet elevation, it is the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountains and one of the most-loved tourist attractions. Thankfully, Morton was able to persuade the feds to develop an alternate path ó the Linn Cove Viaduct.
Protecting Grandfather Mountain is the right thing to do. Not only for those of us who are around to enjoy it today, but also for the nature lovers yet unborn who will one day, we hope, hike one of the mountain’s glorious trails. Or sit under shades of gold to witness a scarlet sun setting.