Elliott Hove & Ryleigh Johnson | Nov. 3, 2026
The Jones Mountain trailhead sign. May 25, 2025, Swannanoa, N.C. (courtesy of AllTrails/Patrick Caty)
On Thursday, Oct. 8, Executive Director of Strategic Ventures, Partnerships and Programs, Amy Frey Ager, sent an email out to the student body of Warren Wilson College (WWC) detailing progress on land conservation easements. As the email explained, the process of putting over 600 acres of WWC’s land under perpetual conservation revealed several “border questions.” But what are these questions, and what do they mean for the WWC community?
Jones Mountain may be best known to students on WWC’s Cycling and Mountain Biking teams, which often use the mountain as a practice space. Harris Wagner, WWC alum and coach of both teams, reflected on his connection to the area.
“I'm an alumni of the college and also of the Cycling Team, so I've also spent an exorbitant amount of time out on Jones Mountain,” Wagner said. “You get to know a place really well by being out there a lot. It's kind of the nicest elevation that we have on campus, so we do a lot of our training out there. It's also nice to get to that part of campus because it feels like you're away a little bit and get out of that Wilson bubble.”
Part of what makes the mountain a great practice space is the lack of people using its trail system, especially when compared to how busy trails in Dam Pasture and along the Swannanoa River can become.
“Dam Pasture, Berea Trails, Bull Creek – whatever you want to call it – that trail network has gotten really popular...going out there is a much different experience where you're running into a lot of people and off-leash dogs and all sorts of stuff like that,” Wagner said. “It's harder to focus on the training. That's why I think Jones [mountain] has [been] kind of a nice niche spot for us, because it's quiet.”
A day before the email went out, a concerned student put out a message in the App Replacement (WWC’s general student Google chat) asking about recently erected signage around Jones Mountain that reads, “This land has been transferred to private ownership and is no longer part of Warren Wilson College or its trail and recreation system.”
A message from a concerned Warren Wilson College (WWC) student about claims of development on Jones Mountain from the Alumni Facebook Group. The message was uploaded to the campus forum “App Replacement” on Oct. 8 at 3:13pm (The Echo/Elliott Hove)
Ager explained what this signage, installed by a private landowner neighboring the college, was in reference to.
“Working with a surveyor, we looked at deeds and titles to ensure that the boundary of Warren Wilson College's property was clearly and accurately defined,” Ager said. “We had a lot of documentation, but we didn't have a map with all of our boundaries. And so as we defined the boundary of Warren Wilson College [land], we ran into seven different encroachments.”
Ager, who has been working alongside the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy (SAHC), noted that this process of defining boundaries of the college’s land was part of the work of putting WWC’s land under a conservation easement to remain as forested or agricultural land in perpetuity. Ager noted that this process of boundary mapping was a natural part of defining property, especially with old documentation.
“As happens over time, not with bad intention, [a neighbor’s] driveway may encroach on your property, or a structure that they built may be a little bit over,” Ager said. “That was part of what we were resolving… With the Jones Mountain parcel, we determined a boundary encroachment and worked with our neighboring landowner and the [Board of Trustees] to determine we would sell a portion of land to [the landowner].”
Due to Jones Mountain’s status as a hidden WWC gem, there was some concern from students and alumni when the sale was announced. Portions of the land sold were part of the Jones Mountain recreational trail, which means that the trail will have to be reconnected. Ager addressed lingering confusion around what the neighboring landowner intends to do with that 6.7 acres.
“That land was sold with some… negotiated restrictions,” Ager said. “[The landowner] has the ability to do what he can with the land under those restrictions. It looks like he's getting started on clearing some things and making a road, things like that.”
Connor Logue, a sophomore on the Cycling and Mountain Biking teams, explained that the sale of the Jones Mountain parcel has not significantly affected how the team practices.
“About 1/4 of the way up Jones Mountain on the left-hand side, which is the east-facing side, there is a new road that was cut by Warren Wilson,” Logue said. “They had a contractor redo the roads on Jones Mountain [over the summer] and now there are four new-planted trees blocking the road. It doesn't really affect any of the trails, but there's signs up that say ‘This is now private property.’”
Logue and the Cycling Team noticed that these four new trees were holly, known for its spiky leaves and often used as privacy hedges. To Logue, they acted as a physical representation of how he perceived the new landowner’s relationship to the college.
“I think we were kind of wishing that Warren Wilson would sell the parcel to someone that still wanted to have a relationship with the college, but it seems like that isn't the vibe,” Logue said.
Wagner emphasized his support of the college’s moves towards the conservation easement, highlighting the benefits the easement offers.
“I think at the end of the day, there's no Cycling Team, there's no nothing, if Warren Wilson closes,” Wagner said. “I think that this is a great step to preserve Warren Wilson, but also preserve the mission of Warren Wilson. This land is getting put into conservation, which means that it's just going to be the way that it is and we can still manage it. But it lessens the tax burden of the college. [The college gets] some really nice checks in the bank eventually, which is a huge help. So I'm all for it.”
While the sale of land and definition of property lines created some confusion around the future of Jones Mountain, the overall process of placing roughly 80% of WWC’s land under conservation easements is a monumental feat. Highlighting the gravity of these easements, Ager noted her pride in participating in conserving WWC’s natural landscape and environment.
“I was really grateful we were able to steward [this] decision to commit to preserving Warren Wilson's land,” Ager said. “It just makes me really, really grateful that Warren Wilson is leaning into those values. It's a big decision, right? And because it is in perpetuity, it feels like a really a grounded decision that is going to help the college and the students.”