2.05.09 Family Pride

Two generations (Trip Martin and son-in-law Rick Gammon) plan future care of the forest as they stand on an historic wagon road estimated to be over 150 years old. Next to them is a spring that had been used for one of the University research projects made possible by the owners.

Some years ago the Martin family joined with other families to protect a piece of Heaven in the North Georgia Mountains, complete with a clear rushing trout stream. In 2006 their dream of placing the land under permanent protection became a reality as they worked with Southeast Regional Land Conservancy. One of the biggest joys of land trust work can be going back each year for monitoring visits with owners who truly care about the land, as is the case each time we visit the Martins.

Stewards of the land, the Martins keep a close eye on the health of the hemlock trees, the water quality of the stream and springs, and the multitude of other land management concerns. With forethought in mind, they have been adding native trees and shrubs along the stream bank to protect the stability and temperature. Hopefully, before global warming has time to cause further increases in stream temperatures, the vegetation will be tall enough to help ameliorate some of the effects.

When they turned their efforts to revitalizing the small farmland acreage, they weren’t satisfied simply putting alpacas out to pasture. They created a plan beneficial to both the environment and education. Working with the local Natural Resource Conservation Service agency office, they gave protection never before given to the spring areas within the pasture. Aquatic features were fenced off from animals and native restoration species are being planted. The fence closest to the stream was moved 10 ft further from the banks for added protection. Native species have been planted there and a woodchip path now runs the perimeter to allow school children educational visits. But they didn’t stop there. When the compact barn was built for the animals, it was designed with facilities to allow observation of veterinary procedures and also but a room that will enable University students to spend two weeks at a time carrying out research.

1.31.09 New Land Protection for 2008
In 2008 the Southeast Regional Land Conservancy was pleased to double the number of acres under protection by adding four new projects totaling 3,492 acres. An additional 127 acres were also added to increase two existing projects. The projects are well-distributed across a variety of ecosystems, with one in the North Carolina Mountains, one in the Tennessee Ridge & Valley, one in the South Carolina Coastal Plain, one in the Georgia Piedmont, and one in the Georgia Coastal Plain. That brings SERLC’s total conservation land area to 6,254 acres.

Cypress tree in a unique Carolina Bay

In the South Carolina Coastal Plain, a tract of 1,153 acres was placed under protection. The critical location is within both an area designated as part of the Savannah River Preserve and the South Lowcountry Focus Area (SOLO). SOLO was established to focus on habitat protection by the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture of the 1986 North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), a cooperative effort between the United States, Canada and Mexico

The land is adjacent and proximal to thousands of acres of protected land and supports a variety of habitats including wetlands, bottomland hardwoods, uplands, working forests, Carolina Bays, aquatic features, small examples of Xeric Sandhill Scrub/Sand Barren Variant communities, and open fields. The Cypress Savannahs present in the Carolina Bays are considered globally rare. Mainly found in a small region centered around coastal South Carolina, the origin of Carolina Bays is still unclear to science. One theory postulates large meteorites impacting the earth. From aerial photographs, it can be noted that these numerous depressions are generally oval in shape and are oriented in the same general direction with the earth pushed up on one side. The depressions filled with water and became inhabited by wetland vegetation over time.

In the upper Coastal Plain of Georgia 1190 acres proximal to other protected lands were eased. The varied habitats include open fields, working pine forests, Bottomland Hardwoods, Cypress-Gum Swamps, wetlands, creeks, river bluff community, and river frontage. An interpretive natural area was established by previous owners, Union Camp, to showcase the significant natural features in the wetland areas. The property has a long frontage on the Oconee River and occurs within the Altamaha River Basin. The large Cotton House Slough runs through the property and is associated with many of the wetland communities.

In the Tennessee Ridge and Valley, 104 acres were eased in a region where the value of conservation is being compellingly realized. The regional ridgelines are highly visible and form the views for the cities, roads, and valleys. However, they are being aggressively covered in high-density developments and the natural and scenic character of the area is being eroded quickly. Since it appears there is no “ridge law” is in effect (codes protecting public views by stating that structures must be built below the immediate ridgeline) conservation easements appear to be the best measure of protection. Included on the land are a mature Oak-hickory forest, Alluvial Forest, and a historic mill site.

In Georgia, 991 acres were protected along the transition edge between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain provinces. Along with working pine forests, at least 103 acres (US COE estimates) of wetlands are included. The land also directly helps to maintain scenic views from well-known US Highway 441.

In the North Carolina Mountains 73 acres were added to a spectacular preserve that now totals 964 acres (see also the press release on 12.01.08 on conservation communities). The overall preserve houses rare species, high quality natural communities, rock outcrops, and many other features. In Alabama, 54 acres that include wetlands, open water, and lake frontage were added to an existing project.

12.01.08 Environmental Recognition.
The Preserve at Little Pine in Madison County, North Carolina has been awarded "Most Environmentally Conscious Planned Community" and "Best Preserve" by Pinnacle Living Magazine in their 2008 Annual Guide/Best of Communities editions. SERLC is proud to be a partner in the conservation effort at Little Pine, holding nine hundred sixty-four (964) acres of preservation property in conservation easements and actively supporting the community’s management in environmental consultation.

07.26.08 Every day is different... Work has included sitting on top of mountains, getting dropped off on islands I’ve never seen, wading through crocodile waters in the dark with only a small flashlight, working in the desert (looking for lichens for anti-cancer research), crawling through mud in swamps with their vibrant, lush growth, being stranded on foreign islands and jungles, identifying old-growth forests for protection and speaking on ‘Good Morning America.’

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01.31.08. Unique projects of 2007. SERLC gave protection to ten new projects in 2007. Totaling 1,140 acres, the projects were wide and varied. Some of the highlights include rugged mountain lands with habitat for rare and watchlist species in North Carolina, a miniature gorge in the Alabama Ridge and Valley country, protection of trout stream and wildlife habitat in Georgia, and a unique development-reversal project for public benefit. Here are some glimpses of the projects.

Rugged mountain tract

In North Carolina we were pleased to embrace adding an additional 448 acres of rugged mountain land onto previous easements which together protect 891 contiguous acres. The overall project takes in high mountain ridges, diverse coves, mountain views, mature forests, wetlands, streams, rare species, rare natural communities, and quality wildlife habitat.

SERLC also protected a small, forested mountain tract with rare species. An important facet of this tract is that it will help to preserve the ecology and scenic quality of the nationally recognized Blue Ridge Parkway and Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail corridors.

In the Alabama Ridge and Valley, a small project will protect ravines that include a miniature gorge with rock grottoes. Home to a fox den, bigleaf magnolia (whose leaves can reach up to three feet in length), and other relatively common species, the site also provides potential habitat for uncommon species of plants, animals, and bryophytes due to the especially humid conditions and rock exposures.

Also in Alabama, a unique project is taking place. While the current trend in the US is for golf courses and developments to displace natural habitats at a rapid rate, this project will create a reverse process. An existing old golf course will be transformed into an exemplary park to conserve natural features and provide the public with exercise walking trails.

“Development” of the site will include habitat enhancement to increase ecological values of the tract. There will be plantings of native species, stream bank stabilization, removal of invasive exotic species that threaten native diversity, establishment of grasslands, and protection of wetlands, wetland buffers, open areas, and forests. Wetlands are essential for ecological integrity and the quality of human life in that they provide public values such as groundwater recharge, habitat for associated species, habitat diversity, pollution abatement, and flood control.

Alabama rock grotto

Stream restoration will reduce erosion, improve water quality, and enhance habitat. Since golf course maintenance chemicals are being discontinued, habitat quality for birds, macro-invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and other species will improve. Habitat for butterflies as well as other fauna and flora will also be enhanced as the open lands are restored to increase native flowering species.

The public walking trails will be situated near a proposed municipal area and should increase public awareness and accessibility for exercise health benefits. The site also supplies an excellent canvas upon which creation of restoration natural areas can be studied for future projects elsewhere.

Our Georgia news includes two new additions. A small mountain tract protects forests and a trout stream corridor that border National Forest lands. A piedmont tract will retain 200 acres of wildlife habitat in an area near recreational lakes which is rapidly changing to residential and 2nd home developments.