CHIMNEY ROCK - In late July, a few days after the owners of one of North Carolina's most popular scenic attractions announced they were selling it, Jim Proctor started his Web site, savechimneyrock.net.

Since then, e-mail messages, calls and letters have poured in, some from as far away as California, from people who have visited the park and love it.

Their message, Proctor said, matches his own: Chimney Rock Park needs to be preserved by making it part of North Carolina's state park system, not compromised or ruined through development.

The park's owners, the Morse family, have turned down one state offer. But the Morses and state officials said Friday they continue to negotiate a price.

Meanwhile, Proctor updates his site and encourages people to write the family, urging them to meet the state halfway.

"It's amazing how many people are interested," said Proctor, 49, a real estate agent and mayor of the nearby town of Lake Lure. "I was not surprised at all that this issue has ignited people in the [area] more than any issue I've ever seen in my life, and I've lived here all my life."

"'But what took me aback is that it's a regional issue, if not a national issue."

He and the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, which also has fielded several dozen calls and e-mail messages, say most comments are coming from the area around the 996-acre park, in Rutherford County about 100 miles west of Charlotte.

The park, owned since 1902 by the Morse family, encompasses hundreds of plant and wildlife species, six hiking trails, a 404-foot waterfall and rocky outcroppings -- especially Chimney Rock itself, a 315-foot monolith -- overlooking Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge.

On a clear day, visitors can see 75 miles. The park draws about 200,000 visitors annually.

Parks and Recreation is reserving land in the area for its planned Hickory Nut Gorge State Park, which the state hopes to open by 2010. It wants the Chimney Rock property, which sits on the southern side of the gorge, in the heart of what would be the state park.

"Its scenic value, its recreational value, is obvious," said agency spokesman Charlie Peek. "But you have this natural heritage value that lifts it to another level."

Before the Morses decided to sell, they turned down a $20 million offer from the state. On July 18, they listed the property at $55 million.

The Morses and state officials say they want to find a way to preserve Chimney Rock's natural beauty.

That's what Proctor said his campaign is all about: impressing on the parties involved how important the park is and urging them to stay at the bargaining table. "I don't want to beat the drum over and over again," he said, "but the state really needs to buy that property."

The Morses want to see the land preserved, too, said Todd Morse, the park's president, general manager and co-owner with his father, Lucius Morse III. But they also want to make sure they're compensated for a unique and valuable piece of property.

"This is not something we took lightly," he said. "It's not like we're saying, 'Well, we're going to cash in our chips and go to Vegas.' I take the stewardship of this mountain very seriously."

Neither Morse nor Mark Evans, an agent for Cape Fear Sotheby's International Realty and the property's listing agent, would discuss potential buyers besides the state. Both said they continue to negotiate in good faith with the state.

But the state's options are limited in negotiations. Under the state constitution, the state can't offer more than fair market value for any piece of property. A state appraisal last year set Chimney Rock Park's value at $20 million, the amount the state offered the Morses.