Protection of Rocky Fork, the U.S. Forest Service's top national acquisition priority, became a reality on Monday, when the Conservation Fund and the U.S. Forest Service closed on a $40 million purchase agreement for the 9,624-acre tract.

About 40 percent of the land's total is in Greene County, mostly in the rugged eastern tip, and 60 percent is in Unicoi County.

The tract, which had been called "the largest high-elevation, single-ownership holding in the eastern United States," is named for the cold waters of the creek that runs down its center.

The property includes a watershed that is almost entirely wooded and undeveloped. The Rocky Fork stream is ranked among the handful of pristine brook trout habitats left in the Eastern United States.

Before the purchase, Rocky Fork was said to be the largest unprotected tract in the Appalachian Mountains.

Rex Boner, of Atlanta, vice president and Southeast regional director for the Conservation Fund, said the Forest Service "brought $8.4 million to the table, and the Conservation Fund "bought the rest," paying $31.6 million.

Boner said that if fundraising had gone as originally hoped this year, the goal would have been for part of the land to be purchased by the state of Tennessee on Monday.

Instead, the Conservation Fund "had to step in and be interim owner," Boner said.

State ownership of part of Rocky Fork continues to be the long-term goal, he said, as funds become available.

Ultimately, Boner said, plans call for the U.S. Forest Service to end up owning 5,465 acres and the state of Tennessee owning 4,159 acres. Plans call for both entities to reimburse the Conservation Fund, freeing the Fund's money for other acquisitions in other parts of the U.S.

Boner explained that the Conservation Fund uses its endowment to purchase tracts of land that are too large to be covered by the budget for a state or federal agency in any one year. The Fund then forms a partnership agreement, to allow the land to be purchased over several years.

Until Monday, the Rocky Fork tract had been owned by a timber-holding company, which at one time had plans to develop it as a gated, second-home community, Boner said.

The shortest trip to Rocky Fork by road from Greeneville involves going to Erwin, proceeding three exits south on I-26, then traveling several miles south on Tennessee Route 352.

As part of the overall acquisition, The Conservation Fund purchased 7,387 acres, which the organization will temporarily hold as it raises money to transfer this portion of the property to the state of Tennessee and the U.S. Forest Service for permanent ownership and management, Boner said.

The U.S. Forest Service acquired an additional 2,237 acres of the Rocky Fork tract, which is now part of the Cherokee National Forest.

Located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the privately-owned Rocky Fork tract long has been open to Tennesseans and visitors who hike, hunt, fish and enjoy the great outdoors, through agreements with state wildlife agencies.

Rocky Fork was well-known in development circles, and until last year had been under strong consideration for conversion into a gated community for large homes on large tracts of forest land.

Boner said the Conservation Fund will continue to work with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation to provide continued access for hiking, fishing and other recreational uses, and to improve and enhance access.

Rocky Fork includes 16 miles of trout streams and represents 2.2 percent of the "prime bear breeding habitat" in the United States and is home to the endangered peregrine falcon, according to the Conservation Fund.

"Rocky Fork is a Southern Appalachian gem and truly is an asset to local communities and national forest visitors," said Tom Speaks, forest supervisor of Cherokee National Forest. "Generations of people have been using this land and we're proud to be a part of the effort to make sure that future generations will have that same opportunity."

As this recreation destination became positioned for sale, a broad-based coalition of local, state and federal leaders sprang into action to save it because of the property's natural resource value and importance to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Boner said.

The Tennessee congressional delegation, including Sen. Lamar Alexander, Sen. Bob Corker and U.S. Rep. David Davis advanced the project by securing Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars for the U.S. Forest Service's acquisition of Rocky Fork.

Boner said Sen. Alexander was a leader in the effort, and Rep. Davis had a personal interest as a native of Unicoi County who grew up nearby and still owns property there. He said Davis's congressional successor, Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe, has visited the property and is also supportive.

Davis, who grew up in Limestone Cove and has a cabin near Rocky Fork said he is pleased that Rocky Fork will be preserved, and that it has the potential to bring more tourism to both Greene and Unicoi counties.

He noted that Unicoi County already had about 50 percent of its land in federal, state or local ownership, before the acquisition. Since government-owned land does not pay county property taxes, he said, government land ownership makes it more difficult for counties to raise needed money, especially for schools.

As a member of the House Education Committee, Davis said he introduced legislation to provide more federal impact aid money to both counties, "so that the federal government will pay its fair share" in lieu of taxes. Davis said the impact will be "up in the millions" of dollars over an extended period.

Boner stressed that the Conservation Fund remains committed to the economic aspects of the project. Boner said the Fund and will work with the Cherokee National Forest and the state to try to encourage "land swaps" to make less strategic portions of land now in federal or state control available for private development, to enhance the local tax base.

"The State of Tennessee has been very supportive of the efforts to protect Rocky Fork, providing a major grant from the Tennessee Heritage Conservation Trust Fund to aid the purchase of this spectacular property," said Commissioner Jim Fyke of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). "We hope to remain engaged in this project to assure that all citizens of Tennessee can continue to use and enjoy this outstanding land."

With its focus on the community, the Fund has partnered with local leaders to seek diverse economic benefits in conserving Rocky Fork.

The Fund is interested in opening discussions concerning possible land exchange opportunities, in which the U.S. Forest Service could take ownership of additional Rocky Fork property by, in part, releasing some of its other local property deemed less strategic for management back into private ownership.

The Fund also has worked with a team of local leaders interested in increasing Rocky Fork's and the region's importance as a gateway to the Southern Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.

"We've made a commitment to this community -- that together, we will forge a conservation solution that enhances the local environment and economy," Boner said.

"Even as we celebrate this milestone, our work continues. Rocky Fork is an important part of the heritage of Tennessee and we're receiving widespread support not just in the state, but also in the region and nationwide. We need a continued coordinated effort across multiple levels of government to secure funding so that Rocky Fork can be fully protected for future generations."

"Acquisition of the Rocky Fork tract has been a goal of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) since the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) received federal recognition as the nation's first national scenic trail more than 40 years ago," said ATC Executive Director David Startzell.