The purchase of Sawnee, 35 miles north of Downtown, came after five years of negotiations with landholders. Two years ago, citizens of the county voted for a special-purpose local option sales tax that designated $5.5 million to preserve green space. Along with that funding, Forsyth County kicked in another $500,000 to meet the price of the Sawnee Mountain tract.
The new purchase brings the amount of land that will be preserved as a park to 631 acres. The county and the preservation group hope to add another 300 acres over the next three years.
The county holds title to the land while the Trust for Public Land has established a foundation to maintain it. Sawnee's history as a special place is ancient. The most visible evidence of its importance to native peoples is the area called Indian Seats where Cherokees carved sitting places in the mountainside.
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