Middle Creek Easement Establishes Family Legacy

Dick and Gill Heywood live in a 120-year-old, meticulously restored, log cabin on Middle Creek in southern Macon County. Since the Civil War, the land has been farmed, producing corn, beans, cattle, and chickens. Recently, the Heywoods conveyed a conservation easement on their 35 acres, with half a mile of Middle Creek frontage, to the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee.

"People leave behind different things as a legacy, sometimes it's a family business or a record of community service. In our case, we'd like to leave behind our vision of what this land should look like over the next 100 years and beyond," said Dick Heywood, a retired marine engineer.

The Heywoods wanted to ensure that any future use of their land would maintain the agricultural integrity of the rural Middle Creek landscape. The conservation easement they conveyed to the LTLT allows for continued farming of the rich bottomlands, building small farm-related buildings, and harvesting the timber according to an approved forest-management plan. The easement limits any future subdivision of the land.

"With the rapid pace of change in this community, we think there is a great benefit in retaining the traditional, rural land uses that are disappearing so quickly", said Gill Heywood. Landowners who view their lands as part of their heritage and want to protect that legacy have the conservation easement as a tool to ensure that their land will remain intact into the future. LTLT is proud to partner with the Heywoods to establish their legacy on the land.

Betty's Creek Easement Promotes Smart Development
Jackson County landowners combine farm and forest conservation with residential development

John Beckman and Jane Finneran, owners of the 600-acre Unahwi Ridge Community in the Cowee Mountains, recently conveyed to the LTLT an easement on 48 acres of agricultural land, wooded hillsides, and pristine streams. This protected area will remain undeveloped for the enjoyment of the residents of Unahwi Ridge, which is designed as a "conservation subdivision". The planned community features a certified organic farm at its heart, homesites clustered around the open farmland, and forested habitat in the steep uplands. This easement is the first of several the owners plan to convey to protect the open space at the head of Betty's Creek in Jackson County.

When asked why they decided to protect their land with a conservation easement, Beckman said, "This agreement with the LTLT ensures that this land will remain as undeveloped forests, working agricultural land, and wildlife habitat forever. We hope it will also serve as a model for others who want to make sure that the conservation value of their lands are retained in the future.

Through conservation easements, landowners who want to make sure that their farms continue to be productive and their forested areas continue to provide refuge for wildlife, now have a way to enjoy their land and preserve it for the future - sort of like eating your cake and having it, too.

Farmland Preservation at the Gateway to North Carolina

In mid-December 2004 LTLT acquired a "working farm conservation easement" on the Spring Ridge Dairy - one of the largest riverfront farms at the head of the valley. The dairy lies at the gateway to North Carolina for visitors traveling up US 441 to the mountains from the south. The Spring Ridge Dairy was built by the hard work of Jim Moore, and his late wife Judy. The creamery, located on the four-lane highway a mile north of the Georgia state line, sells the richest milk and ice cream in the region.

The conservation agreement will ensure that the broad bottomland along a mile of river will be protected from development and always remain available for farming. In addition to protecting farmland and the rural scenery at the Gateway to North Carolina, the agreement conserves the heart of the battlefield site in which a British-led force of 2,800 men in 1761 defeated the Cherokee in what was known as the second battle of Echoe during the "French and Indian War" in the South.

Funding for this project came from the USDA Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and from over $80,000 of key donations from LTLT members and supporters. This project is a huge step for farmland preservation in our valley.

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