The Blue Ridge Conservancy has an agreement to purchase 73 acres on the north and east side of Howard Knob in Watauga County.
Howard Knob overlooks the town of Boone and has an interesting backstory. In 1979, NASA installed a windmill on its peak to provide energy during that era’s gas crisis. The structure was controversial. Many complained about the whooshing sound it created, and there were technical problems. The federal government took it down four years later.
In the 1990s, Howard Knob was sold to a private investor, sparking a conservation movement that led to the founding of what’s now the Blue Ridge Conservancy.
Eric Heigl with the Conservancy says 30 years later, the organization has now signed a contract to buy the land.
“The whole mountain's got a unique history with the windmill up there, and then the student-led activism to try to save the boulders up there," he says. "And so, we're hoping when this property closes in December, it'll close the loop.”
Plans for the land include hiking and climbing trails as well as additional parking.