Big Butt is a 5,980-foot summit in Big Ivy, a section of Pisgah that’s home to the most old-growth forest and rare wildlife in the region. Big Butt offers stunning, panoramic views of Big Ivy’s hiking and mountain biking trails, climbing rocks, and waterfalls. Big Ivy also includes Craggy Gardens, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Mountains to Sea Trail.
Unfortunately, Big Butt and nearly all of Big Ivy’s 13,980 acres may soon be open to logging, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed management plan.
Big Ivy is a mountain biking mecca, fly fishing oasis, trail running hotspot, climbing paradise, and a hiker’s wet dream: dozens of cascades, creeks and swimming holes abound in Big Ivy, including 70-foot Douglas Falls.
Big trees and big water abound in Big Ivy.
Most of it will be opened to logging if the Forest Service has their way.
A local, grassroots coalition called Friends of Big Ivy has teamed up with hiking clubs, mountain biking groups, fly fishing outfitters, climbing organizations, conservation groups, local businesses, and others to encourage the Forest Service to protect Big Ivy from massive logging.
This Thursday, February 5, Friends of Big Ivy is hosting a public meeting with the Forest Service at 7 p.m. at the Big Ivy Community Center just outside of Asheville. Everyone is invited to ask questions and share concerns about the future of Big Ivy. (Also, there will be cookies.) Hope you can be there to speak for this rare old-growth forest and beloved hub of outdoor adventure.
If you can’t make it, sign the Big Ivy petition here. More info: FriendsofBigIvy.org
