Founders of Ridgefield Farm believed in saving, using land responsibly
By Cindi Herr
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SCOTT WALLACE/Cherokee Scout
Steve and Mary Beth Whitmire stand outside the main office of Ridgefield Farm, off Brasstown Road in Martins Creek, holding a photo of Steve’s father, E.J. Whitmire, and the Franklin High School Agriculture class he taught. The photo was taken in 1946 |
Brasstown – The legacy of local farmers, educators and working conservationists E.J. and Genevieve Whitmire will be honored Saturday, when their children will accept a posthumous conservation award on their behalf.
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, based in Franklin, will host an all-day fall celebration in the historic Cowee West’s Mill District with music, food, games, history, music and tours. During the event, land trust officials will present the annual Conservationist of the Year Award to the Whitmire family and publicly thank state legislators for their support of public funds for farmland preservation.
Carrying on their parents’ passion for land conservation, education and hard work, the Whitmire family – Genevieve, “Little E.J.,” Steve and David and their spouses and children – dedicated an easement of more than 850 acres of the 1,000-acre Ridgefield Farm in December to the land trust, which serves the upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River valleys.
E.J., who founded Ridgefield Farm in 1951 with the purchase of the first 200 acres, died in 1998 at age 82. His wife, Genevieve, died in June at age 89. In addition to running the farm, they also were teachers.
“If there was one constant out of their mouth, it was the value of land and the value of education,” their son Steve said. “They believed if you had an education and were hard working, you would succeed at whatever you did.”
While the farm still belongs to the Whitmire family, the easement prohibits residential or commercial development for posterity. The family continues to utilize the working farm to breed cattle and harvest the trees in moderation in cooperation with Western Carolina University.
“The whole family sacrificed in order to make this happen,” said Sharon Taylor, land protection coordinator. “We look at projects and people we’ve worked with over the past year, and look at who’s given the most and who’s worked for land conservation the most. Protecting a working farm is a great thing.”
Daughter Genevieve Whitmire Burda of Mars Hill said her parents would have been honored to be considered for the award.
“My dad believed in trying to conserve land – that doesn’t mean not using it, but using it for a responsible purpose,” Burda said. “They did not lead a fancy lifestyle. It was a lot of sacrifice to get land and save it.”
Steve, who manages Ridgefield Farm with his wife, Mary Beth, and two sons, Bud and Whit, said the family stresses conservation – not in the modern environmentalist definition, but protecting land so it can be used and enjoyed.
“The award recognizes our family’s vision. We’re only stewards of the land for our lifetime. They don’t make any more land, and we need to ensure it’s utilized in a conservation-oriented fashion, which means you leave it as well or better than you found it,” Steve said. “All of it is there to be used and harvested for the betterment of mankind, but all in balance.”
“It’s a shame they couldn’t have been alive to see it. But the legacy lives on, and it’s real important to preserve some of that valley,” Burda said.
The Robert Brunner and Virginia Ramsey Brunner Land Conservationist of the Year award was established in 2004 in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Brunner, who conserved their family land in the Nantahala Mountains and whose philanthropy helped establish the land trust.
The trust helps protect private lands from inappropriate development by working with landowners to place conservation easements on their property, accepting gifts of land and purchasing at-risk properties.
In addition, Ridgefield Farm is featured on the cover of the land trust’s 2008 calendar, available for $10 at www.ltlt.org.
To learn more about the farm, visit www.ridgefieldfarm.net.
For details about the award, call land trust spokesperson Kate Parkerson at (828) 524-2711 or e-mail kparkerson@ltlt.org.
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