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A Big Earth Day for Local Conservationists
by Barbara McRae, Editor

A pair of Canada geese flew by, honking on cue as the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee prepared to celebrate yet another big conservation story Friday - the protection of 63 acres of farmland and a mile of river frontage at the gateway to North Carolina.

It was Earth Day on the Little Tennessee - and for the land trust and its friends, Earth Day brought plenty to celebrate, including news that three additional farmland preservation projects have been approved for the county.

The Spring Ridge Dairy, which operates a popular ice cream stop near the state line, set the scene. One of the largest working riverfront farms at the head of the valley, the farm made conservation history in December when it became the first USDA Farm and Ranchland Protection project in Western North Carolina.

"We wanted to preserve it and it looks like we're going to be able to," said Jim Moore, who built up the farm with the help of his late wife Judy.

The farmland preservation program, which pays farmers for development rights, made it possible for Moore to continue to farm and to preserve the land for future generations. The conservation easement was paid for by $221,000 from farm and ranchland protection money, $60,000 from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF), and more than $80,000 in private donations. The total cost was $361,000 or about $5,730 per acre.

"It took a big load off us," Moore said.

The project also preserves the rural scenery for visitors entering North Carolina on U.S. 441, noted Paul Carlson, the executive director of the land trust. And it has cultural significance as well, conserving part of the battlefield site of a 1761 engagement between the Cherokee Indians and Colonial forces from South Carolina. Bill Holman, executive director of the CWMTF, told the small crowd of supporters and agency reps that they could celebrate action as well as the beautiful setting on this Earth Day. He praised the private citizens, the land trust, county government and the General Assembly, who are helping to preserve "one of the most environmentally diverse waterways in our state."

From left, Bill Holman, Paul Carlson, Sharon Taylor and Brent Martin celebrate a big Earth Day for Macon County at Spring Ridge Dairy. Photo by Barbara McRae

"I'm from the Piedmont and we don't have anything like this," he said, pointing out that the Little Tennessee is home to half the freshwater fish species in the state and has one of North Carolina's most intact collections of mussel species.

The clean water fund has funneled $12 million into Macon County and over $20 million into the Little Tennessee valley since 1996, Holman said. Part of that went into a partnership effort to secure the Needmore lands.

"We can celebrate how much conservation has occurred here in a short time," Holman said, noting that one-third of the river frontage along the Little Tennessee has been brought into some form of conservation since 1999.

Holman praised Harold Corbin, former chairman of the Macon County Board of Commissioners, for his early efforts to preserve the Needmore lands. He also noted the efforts of the Soil and Water Conservation District folks who "work on the ground" to improve the streams.

"This is one of the most significant river projects going on in the Southeast," he said.

Every project has to compete for funds, Holman said.

"We can fund only one-fourth of the projects we see," he said. One of the strengths of the Little Tennessee effort has been that "you bring all parties to the table."

"This is an unparalleled example of respect for our land, and what can be accomplished when people work together and have a common vision."

Carol Litchfield, assistant state conservationist for the N.C. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), echoed Holman's words.

"It's all about partnership," she said. Streambank preservation is the next step, "now that you've protected this land."

The NRCS program administers federal funds of about $3 million per year for the entire state, so it is limited in what it can fund, Litchfield said.

"In 2004, only 10 tracts statewide were funded," she said, "and only one in Western North Carolina." That one project was the Spring Ridge Dairy.

"In 2005, three projects were submitted by the land trust, and all three will be funded," Litchfield announced to round applause.

The projects involve significant cultural resources connected with the ancient Cowee village site, she said.