On Wednesday, October 26th Lakeside Restaurant will donate 15% of gross sales from your meal when you mention you are there to support HCLT.  Make your reservations today at 526-9419.

 There were a lot of ups and downs in 2010 for land conservation in the mountains of North Carolina. Due to the slow economy and the uncertainty around the extended tax deduction rates for conservation easements, land donations were limited in 2010.  We completed three important land donations but all of our pending conservation easement projects rolled over into 2011.

 In 2010 we protected two wonderful sites: a 3.66 acre tract at the end of View Point Road was donated by Tom Blount and a .78 acre site along the historic Kelsey Trail was donated by Tommy and Vickie Chambers. The View Point Preserve contains a young and healthy forest that will remain as green space forever. The donation by Tommy and Vickie protects 322 feet along the eastern part of the trail at the switchback located midtrail. This donation also includes an easement across a second piece of property that will allow a Greenway connection from Rhododendron Park trail currently under construction.

 In addition to the two conserved properties,  Edward Carlson donated a beautiful 1.2 acre lot at Cowee Ridge suitable for a home with a view of Whiteside Mountain. Anyone interested in purchasing this lot should contact the Land Trust Office for additional details. The proceeds from the sale of this lot will be used to fund future conservation efforts.

 It is a bit early to announce recent successes with new conservation easements but we are in the final phases with two wonderful easements: Ridges of East Fork and Pritchard’s Perch. The Ridges of East Fork is a 220 acre tract located next to Nantahala National Forest on the East Fork of Savannah Creek. The easement will reduce the potential development on this site by 85% and preserve a very rich and diverse cove forest as well as many thousands of feet of stream. The second easement is located off of Panther Mountain Road and is an 11 acre easement that overlooks National Forestlands and will protect views as far away as Burningtown Gap.

 In the works for 2011 are another five easements totaling over 300 acres. It’s a bit early to call these final conservation projects for 2011 but all three have Baseline Documentation Reports finished or in progress and that is a good sign they will be done by the end of the year. These easements will help to protect some incredible cedar cliffs, green salamander habitat, a waterfall on Big Creek, and more of our natural heritage.

How does this stewardship impact you? Many folks are familiar with the scenic pot in the road on Highway 64 at the Jackson and Macon County line known as Rhodes Big View. Ever wonder who maintains this view or who cleans up after the untidy picnickers on Sunset Rock at Ravenel Park? In both cases it is the volunteers of the HCLT.

One of our biggest challenges is to protect the Cheoah Hemlock, the largest and tallest living hemlock from the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). This tree resides in a 22 acre, old growth forest, in the headwaters of the Cullasaja River. I am glad to report the tree is alive and well. But it has required a lot of work by volunteers to cut and maintain trails, treat the trees for the HWA, and keep an eye on them.

Just who are these volunteers? They include HCLT Board Directors, HCLT members, hiking clubs, Americorps Volunteers, local arborists, and in some cases, you the reader. Next time you see one of these guys or gals thank them and ask them how you can join this list of volunteers and help out too. There is plenty of work for all.

The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust has been saving important places since 1909. Find out more at www.hicashlt.org, 828-526-1111, or hitrust@earthlink.net.

Picture caption: Jeffrey Owens and Klye Pursel, two HCLT volunteers helping to protect the Cheoah Hemlock (largest and tallest living hemlock) from the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

Everyone is welcome to this free program. This presentation will provide a good introduction to a HCLT Eco Tour to Peeks Creek that will take place the following Friday, August 27th led by Wooten and Ken Gillon, also of the NC Geological Survey. Eco Tours are only $5 for HCLT members and $35 for new friends and they all include a guided hike, lunch and a membership to Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. Space is limited on Eco Tours. To reserve your spot, contact HCLT at 526.1111 or email them at julie.hitrust@eartlink.net.
No reservations are required for the Village Nature Series program on August 25th. The Village Nature Series, now in its fourth year, is a free educational community event co-hosted by Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and The Village Green. To learn more visit: www.hicashlt.org and www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Not only did Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust celebrate 100 years of conservation in 2009 but it managed to complete nine conservation easements and conserved more than 340 acres. Nine easements are the most HCLT has ever completed in a single year. It also means we have protected more than 2000 acres since 1909 and doubled our conserved acreage since 2006. All in all, it was a pretty good year.

The Warren family placed a conservation easement on 132 acres of Timber ridge, con-serving several

Endangered species and a north Carolina Significant Natural Heritage area. This is our second largest protected tract.

Debbie and Brad Word placed their 66-acre property, Firewater, into a conservation easement that protects a part of Robinson Creek and is adjacent to Panthertown.

Erich and Anneliese Schweistris placed Haus im Wald, located on Shortoff Mountain, into a conservation easement conserving a part of the head-waters of Shortoff Creek in a 47-acre easement.

When I first joined the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust years ago, I remembered being impressed with the overall quality and effectiveness of the organization. There was a level of Commitment and dedication witnessed in few other groups. I’m pleased to report that, even with these strong organizational roots, we are not content to simply maintain the same level of quality, rather, we are actively working to enhance our professionalism in 2010.

This past October, the board of directors unanimously voted to pursue the full national accreditation as a land trust. While it might have been tempting to rest on the laurels of our past hundred years of success, we agreed in that in order to continue on a path of excellence, we must continue to take intentional, progressive steps in that direction. In keeping with this commitment, we have already adopted improved stands and practices that are recognized as the desirable norms of our industry.

We are working directly with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission (LTAC) based in New York to improve and establish guidelines that will better ensure our effectiveness as your land trust for generation to come. Once we have operated under our new polices for one year, we will voluntarily submit to a rigorous review process administered by LTAC.

This is roughly similar to someone walking into an IRS office and asking to be audited. So what’s the point, and why would we choose to do this? The point is that you and our other members are essentially investing in our integrity and capability as a land trust. Full accreditation will serve as further validation of our credibility, accountability and transparence. More to the point, we value your confidence in our efforts to protect and preserve our threatened mountain resources. Accreditation will strengthen our standards and practices, thereby further encouraging your confidence and trust. Improved trust means that we will share a stronger partnership and our strong partnership with you is essential to our ongoing success.

We are excited for the year ahead, with all of its challenges and opportunities. We deeply appreciate your active participation with us, and we look forward to continuing to earn your trust.