Biodiversity in the Blue Ridge

The Southern Blue Ridge contains the world's most endemic plants and animals, meaning they occur nowhere else in the world. The mountains are home to 400 rare plants and more than 250 endemic plants.

The streams and rivers contain the largest variety of fish, fresh-water mussels and crayfish in the temperate world. More than 230 fish species have been documented, and new species continue to be discovered.

The Blue Ridge forms a critical habitat in eastern North America for populations of globally declining neotropical migrant songbirds, such as the whip-poor-will and Canada warbler. These birds rely on large, undisturbed, unfragmented tracts of land to reproduce successfully.

In southwestern North Carolina, the upper Little Tennessee River, which contains one of the healthiest aquatic systems in the state, intertwines with the richest deciduous temperate forest on earth. In northwestern North Carolina, the New River, regarded as one of the oldest rivers in the world, arises in the mountains of North Carolina before flowing northward to West Virginia.

 

The Southern Blue Ridge Mountains are at a pivotal point in our history. We can watch as this extraordinary landscape continues to lose hundreds of acres of natural areas to development each day. Or we can join together to be the stewards that this mountain land deserves.

The choice is ours, and the stakes could not be higher. The forests of the Southern Blue Ridge are the most ecologically rich in the temperate world - scientists estimate that 100,000 species exist in Great Smoky Mountains National Park alone. Through this tapestry of blue-gray hills flow the headwater streams that furnish the drinking water for millions of Southeastern residents.

The land provides livelihood for foresters and farmers, who form a unique relationship with the land that connects them to their past generations. The state's number two economic engine is fueled by the area's scenic views - each year, 20 million tourists visit the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.

These hills are filled with simple moments - a summit vista on a sun-warmed rock…outdoor potlucks with neighbors on a generations-old farm…flycasting on a backwoods trout stream…canoeing through a gorge kindled by the light of the fading day…visiting an ancient Cherokee mound rich with historic lessons. The terrain has shaped a unique mountain culture, but sadly, the advance of unchecked development threatens this landscape, its wildlife and its long human culture. We estimate we have ten-year window before these beautiful lands are lost to development.

Blue Ridge Forever aims to meet these growing challenges to protect this American Treasure.

Find out how to Get Involved.