Join the Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) for six Friday hikes offered this spring, starting Feb. 22.  PAC’s first hike will head to the SCDNR managed site, Ashmore Heritage Preserve, a 4-mile, moderate out and back on part of the new Mountain Bridge Passage Trail with a loop around Lake Wattacoo. On March 1, hikers will head to Florence Nature Preserve for a 5-mile, moderate lollipop hike on the CMLC protected property.  On March 15, hikers venture to Pisgah National Forest for a 5-mile, moderate loop hike along Cove Creek and Caney Bottom Creek. The hike on March 29 is a 6-mile, moderate/strenuous loop hike to High Windy at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly.  On April 12, the group will head to Table Rock State Park for a 6-mile out & back hike to Bald Rock Overlook.  The final hike will take place on April 26 at DuPont State Forest, a 6-mile, easy/moderate loop hike to Bridal Veil Falls.

PAC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) qualified conservation organization (land trust) that works with landowners to ensure the long-term protection of their land through voluntary conservation easements.  Conservation easements enable landowners to maintain ownership and management of their property, preserving precious natural resources (open lands, forests, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, farmland, stream banks, etc.), and potentially obtain significant federal, state, and local tax benefits.  PAC’s mission is to protect and conserve our area’s natural resources with a vision of a community living and growing in harmony with our natural heritage and a goal to provide a legacy that will endure and be valued by generations to come.

If you are interested in attending the PAC Hikes this spring and would like more information, please call the PAC office at 828-859-5060 or e-mail landprotection@pacolet.org. You can also find information on PAC’s website, www.pacolet.org, and on PAC’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pacoletarea.conservancy.

– article submitted by Pam Torlina