Gouge Cove
Appalachia Rising is honored to have contributed to the purchase of Gouge Cove by connecting Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy with an interested donor.
The purchase of Gouge Cove included two properties that span a ridgeline on the southwestern slopes of Roan Mountain. These adjoin an existing SAHC preserve and a future SAHC acquisition. The acquisition of these properties significantly contributes to the protection of deciduous temperate forests and the ongoing sequestration of carbon. Both properties lie within the Roan Mountain Important Bird Area, the Roan Mountain West TNC Forest Matrix Block, and the Grandfather- Unaka Priority Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Area. There are records of the State Rare black-billed cuckoo. The Northern tract adjoins the state-designated Roan Mountain Massif Natural Area and is partially within a High Priority Wildlands Network Wildlife Corridor. The parcel scores as a top priority for climate resilience. Elevations on the property reach 4,800 ft and it is visible in the middle ground from various parts of Roan Mountain, especially around the Roan High Bluff trailhead. Additionally, part of the ridgeline has some areas with visibility from the Appalachian Trail. The tract possesses the headwaters of an upper tributary to Gouges Creek as well as a section of Gouges Creek itself, a North Carolina Division of Water Resources designated Trout Water. All of these streams eventually flow into Little Rock Creek.