Source: Charlotte Observer

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina says it closed on the 17 acres in Burke County in December, with the help of money from a private donor.

Multiple Bigfoot sightings have been reported in the area in recent years, according to Bigfoot researchers.

However, the Jonas Ridge Bog is prized by environmentalists as an increasingly scarce example of a Southern Appalachian Mountain marsh, places where the soil is “nutrient-poor, acidic, and saturated,” according to Nature.org.

In other words, creepy.

“Southern Appalachian mountain bogs are rare,” the Foothills Conservancy reported in a release. “At the highest elevations in Burke County, Jonas Ridge Bog is habitat to unique species of plants, animals, and insects.”

Among the species is a beautiful but carnivorous plant, the mountain sweet pitcher, which eats insects, experts say.

The Foot Hills Conservancy intends to give the bog to Burke County to protect, with future development limited to an interpretive hiking trail, according to the release.

Conservancy officials told McClatchy News they were not aware of folklore connected to the bog area, which borders the Pisgah Loop Scenic Highway.

However, Burke County has its share of mysteries, including tales of 15th century settlers fearing witches, and the Brown Mountain Lights. The latter is “a series of ghost lights” that appear sporadically near Brown Mountain, reports RomanticAsheville.com.

Burke County’s rugged mountains are also believed by some to be home to the legendary half-man, half-ape known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch.

Bigfoot 911, a Marion-based cryptid research group, told McClatchy News that eight Bigfoot sightings have been reported “from around the Jonas Ridge area of Burke County” in the past five years.

Southern Appalachian Mountain bogs are a perfect fit for Bigfoot lore, because they are often remote and “less than thrilling” places for people to visit.

The Nature Conservancy says the “bogs are one of North America’s rarest and most incredible habitats.”

“Most people in North Carolina will never see one. … Although near 5,000 acres of bogs were once found in North Carolina, only about 500 acres remain,” the Nature Conservancy reports. “Many bogs have been lost to draining, ditching, and development.”

Source: Charlotte Observer