LTLT Adds to Tessentee Bottomland Preserve

 

A bargain sale by Margaret Parks, in honor of her late husband, James (Jim) Parks, Jr., will allow the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) to add another 5.6 acres to its Tessentee Bottomland Preserve.  Parks sold the property to LTLT for less than one-half of its market value and financed one-half of the purchase price to allow LTLT time to raise funds for the project.  LTLT acquired the original 64-acre tract of bottomland and river bluff at the junction of Tessentee Creek and the Little Tennessee River in 1999 and 2000. The ecologically diverse Tessentee Preserve encompasses habitat types which one would more likely find in the Mississippi Valley than in the mountains of Western North Carolina, including wetland, red cedar savannah, canebrakes, and yellow pine/blackjack oak forest.  The Parks property will add yet another unique habitat to Tessentee Preserve. 

 

The Parks addition includes a large granite outcropping overlooking Tessentee Creek which contains a distinctive habitat with a profusion of plant life. It also commands a sweeping view of the broad Little Tennessee valley looking south towards Rabun Gap, Georgia.  The outcropping is said to have served as a “lookout” for the Cherokee and could have provided the vantage point on June 27, 1760 as the British and Colonial forces marched on the Middle Cherokee towns in the first battle of the “Cherokee Wars”.  That battle, which may have taken place on the bottomlands of the Tessentee Preserve, saw sixteen “Redcoats” and thirteen “Provincials” slain and seventy-six wounded in an ambush by the Cherokee.

 

After the Parks bought the property, which lies on the eastern boundary of The Tessentee Bottomland Preserve, Jim took a special interest in the land and spent many happy hours working and enjoying the woods.  “Jim removed the dead pines after the pine beetle infestation and replaced them with oaks, redbud, hemlock, and other native species,” Margaret said.  They both enjoyed the many “treasures” of the woods, including the wildflowers, blueberries and wildlife.  “I once came upon a baby deer in the clearing, just lying there sleeping,” she recalled. “There were many animals making their home there, including an albino skunk.”  The plentiful flora and fauna enjoyed by the Parks is due to an abundance of water resources and the diverse habitats created by the different soil types in the area.  The original Tessentee Bottomland Preserve contains nine soil types making it an extraordinary place for viewing wildlife. The Preserve’s bird list stands at 115 species and butterfly list at 42 species – and counting.  Tessentee Bottomland Preserve is open to the public and is stop #53 on the NC Birding Trail.

 

LTLT’s Executive Director, Paul Carlson, says that “LTLT is excited to expand Tessentee Bottomland Preserve to provide an even more enriching experience for the public and is honored to partner with Mrs. Parks to fulfill her late husband’s dream of conserving the land”.  “Jim kept every LTLT brochure and newsletter from the beginning of its history”, Margaret Parks said.  “Conserving the property with LTLT is a way of fulfilling his longtime interest”.

Macon County Family Receives LTLT Conservation Award 

 

 On November 7, 2009, The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) awarded its 2009 Ramsey-Brunner Land Conservationist of the Year Award to Myra Waldroop and family; Betty Waldroop, Mary Pittman, Barry Browning, Brian Browning, Nathan Pittman and Paul Pittman.  The award which is given to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to land conservation in LTLT’s project area was presented at LTLT’s annual Fall Celebration at Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Otto.

 

On a beautiful fall day, Myra Waldroop along with second and third generation family members received the award in front of the historic farmhouse at Tessentee before a crowd of about 100 people.  The 248-acre property conserved by the conservation easement conveyed to LTLT has numerous conservation values.  It lies on either side of the Waterfall Scenic Byway which runs from Rosman to Murphy and is adjacent to National Forest System lands.  There are prime farmland soils being farmed and productive forest land that is managed for timber harvest, and, last, but certainly not least, it has nearly 4,000 feet of Nantahala River flowing through it and over 700’ of Black Creek.

 

According to Myra Waldroop’s records, the family has owned property in Rainbow Springs since as early as 1853.  “My grandfather, C.W. Slagle, acquired land in Rainbow Springs over a number of years,” said Myra.  The family used the property for family vacations for many years.  During the 20’s and 30’s the Ritter Lumber Company operated in one of the meadows complete with a thriving lumber town including post office, commissary, hotel and school.  A railroad hauled lumber down the river to be shipped away.  In 1948, Myra’s father, Carl Slagle, retired to Rainbow Springs, and later, Myra inherited a portion of the her grandfather’s property where both of her daughters now live.  There are many stories of four and five generations who have fished, hunted, and gathered with friends and family at “Rainbow”.  “Many family traditions live on,” says Myra.  “With this long history, my family and I decided we wanted this property protected from development. The LTLT was our solution.  We appreciate working with the folks at LTLT.  A special thanks to Sharon for her patience as we worked out the details of the Deed of Conservation.”

 

In her presentation of the award to the Waldroop family, Sharon Taylor stated, “LTLT’s mission is to conserve the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River valleys.  However, we work with landowners on a purely volunteer basis, so it is somewhat opportunistic.  When Myra Waldroop called to say she was interested in conserving a portion of the Family’s Rainbow Springs property, that opportunity fit our mission like a glove.  I know that all of the conservation values are important to LTLT, and important to the Family, but the Waldroop Family conserved their land because of their love of the land and the heritage that the land represents.”

LTLT has been awarded a grant from the Federal Highway Administration Scenic Byways program that will allow us to continue to work with the Wood family in Cherokee County in an effort to conserve some of the best farming soils in western North Carolina.  The Nantahala Byway, a scenic, 43-mile highway that meanders through parts of Jackson, Swain, Macon and Cherokee counties, runs through the Wood Farm for almost two miles.  The $1,098,500 grant money would go towards purchasing a conservation easement that would protect over 400 acres of the Wood family farmland lying along the Valley River.  The Wood Farm was a model project in the Mountain Landscapes Initiative last year and the grant provides a great boost to “next steps” of that Initiative.

 

We were very excited to receive this great news as we weren’t sure that we would be funded at all.  Even with the grant the project is far from being completed.  LTLT will have to raise funds for a significant match to the federal grant, but this award gives us a great jump start toward meeting the needs of the Wood family and conserving the farmland.