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About
Us |
The
Land Trust for the
Little Tennessee
88 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1148
Franklin, NC 28744-1148
Phone: 828-524-2711
Fax: 828-524-4741
Email: LTLT
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The
Macon County News June 7, 2007 |
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Fundraiser
focused on support and preservation of the
The first annual joint fundraising event between the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) and the Little Tennessee Watershed Association (LTWA) was held Sunday, June 3, to garner support and bring attention to the quality of the Little Tennessee River and the surrounding areas. The fundraising event was conceived to bring attention to Land Trust Day, which celebrates North Carolina’s land trust acknowledgments and is observed throughout the state. Kate Parkerson, Membership and Outreach Coordinator for the LTLT, said, “The main purpose is to get people out and aware of their surroundings, particularly the Little Tennessee.” Jenny Sanders, the new Executive Director of the LTWA, echoed that sentiment. “Our objective is to expose the beauty and outstanding qualities of the Little Tennessee, not just for recreational purposes, but to promote and encourage an attitude of conservation.” One way they hope to achieve their objective is through Biomonitoring, which is a process of evaluating the health of the aquatic environment by looking at the quality of the habitat as a whole as well as the specific communities that live within it. Dr. Bill McLarney, who co-founded the LTWA with LTLT Executive Director, Paul Carlson, is in his 17th year of data collection. Volunteers are always needed and proponents say the Biomonitoring Project is an excellent way to learn about the different species of fish that inhabit the Little Tennessee River.
Despite the threat of rain, novice and experienced canoers alike embarked on the threemile journey down the Little Tennessee River from the Great Smokey Mountain Fish Camp to a parcel of land located on Leatherman Gap, provided by the owner of the Fish Camp, Jerry Anselmo. Once they arrived, they were treated to a selection of food from Big Mountain BBQ, located in Hazelwood. Local musical artists Angela Faye Martin (www.angelafaye.com) and The Frogtown Four entertained the crowd with musical selections reflecting the Appalachian heritage. Nantahala Outdoor Center provided the shuttle. Author James (Jim) Kautz was on hand, signing autographs and promoting his book “Footprints Across the South- Bartram's Trails Revisited.” Kautz first became acquainted with Bartram while reading Michael Frome's “Strangers in High Places” and, a few years later, was brought closer to Bartram on a canoeing trip down the Nantahala River. Finding Bartram's book “The Travels of William Bartram” in the Nantahala Outdoor Center's outfitters store, Kautz decided to learn more about him as he was staying overnight in Bartram's cabin. His curiosity was piqued and the quest began to “see, understand, and describe places and people of a nation that had travelled more than two centuries into Bartram's future.” If you missed this event, another Canoe Day, jointly hosted by the LTWA and the LTLT, is planned for July 14. In a collaborative effort with other conservation organizations in Western North Carolina, a workshop is tentatively scheduled for September and will be open to the public.
As a follow up to the Watershed Conference in 1993, the LTWA hopes to educate decision makers about the state of the Little Tennessee River in conjunction with the growth in Macon and surrounding counties. Issues such as drinking water supplies, proper sewer/septic management and steep slope development regulations will be discussed. The LTWA gives presentations that detail its biomonitoring program because the organization believes that accurate scientific information is critical to good decision making. Contact the
Little Tennessee Watershed Association by calling 828-369-6402 or
visiting its newly-redesigned website at www.ltwa.org.
For further information regarding the Land Trust for the Little
Tennessee, contact Kate Parkerson at 828-524-2711 or kparkerson@ltlt.org. |
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