2006 Winter Newsletter - Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy

LANDSCAPE
WINTER 2006
VOL. 11, NO. 3
Hickory Nut Gorge Conser vation Expands
In July, Carolina Mountain
Land Conservancy continued its
mission of protecting land and
water resources in the Hickory
Nut Gorge by completing a 35acre conservation agreement in
Gerton, near CMLC’s Florence
Nature Preserve. The agreement
was donated by the members of
Little Bearwallow Mountain LLC,
including John Myers and his
wife Jane Lawson, her sister Lynne
Wiley and husband Tom. CMLC
Executive Director Kieran Roe says,
“We are deeply gratified that the
owners of Little Bearwallow LLC
have made this significant addition
to conserved lands in the Hickory
Nut Gorge.” The land protected by
the conservation agreement includes
the globally rare ‘Rich Cove’
community type, which occurs in
high elevation hardwood forests and
consists of gneiss rock, old growth
trees, and a diverse herbaceous layer
of soil.
A conservation development
called Hickory Nut Forest adjoins
the protected land. The group
also owns 170 acres of Little
Bearwallow Mountain, which they
are independently preserving. These
acres will feature a network of
nature trails accessing along Hickory
Nut Creek, and will connect
with the trails of Florence Nature
Preserve, and hopefully continue
into the new state park.
This Carolina Lily is one of many
wildflowers on the protected property.
continued on page 3...
6th A n n u a l
A Success!
G
ood company, good food, and good plants led to another
successful Conservation Celebration! Thanks to the support
of our members and community, including a record number
of sponsors, CMLC raised $30,000 during our sixth annual
Conservation Celebration this year.
Held at the Kellogg Center, this year’s Celebration included
live music by the Opal String Quartet, an exhibit of woodfired pottery, a walk on the grounds to enjoy outdoor artwork,
and lots of good conversation among friends. The highlight
of the evening was a live auction of native plants from Laurel
Springs Nursery, each plant enthusiastically described by
Wes Burlingame, owner of the nursery. Marilyn HoustonSmith, winner of a weeping redbud, explains, “The auction
continued on page 4...
Conservation Celebration revelers raised $30,000
this year.
MISSION: CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LAND CONSERVANCY HELPS LANDOWNERS PROTECT LOCAL LAND AND WATER RESOURCES VITAL TO OUR NATURAL
HERITAGE AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
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AS A LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SAVING THE PLACES YOU LOVE, CMLC IS HELPING
12,800 ACRES OF PROTECTED FARM, FOREST, PARK AND NATURAL LANDS.
TO CREATE A REGIONAL NETWORK OF MORE THAN
Chet Parent, our Yellow Lady Slipper Volunteer*
Since 2002, Chet Parent has
been a regular volunteer recycler
for CMLC’s office. Every other
Thursday, Chet visits the CMLC
office to pick up our paper and
other recyclables. Chet has always
claimed to know how busy the
office has been based on how
many bags he carries out. A
dedicated recycler, Chet has two
other stops along his way to the
recycling center: Mainstay and the
Dispute Settlement Center.
Chet moved here in 1983
from New Jersey to work as an
engineer at the former DuPont
factory. While an engineer for
DuPont, Chet helped spearhead
new protocols for the company
to recycle everything from office
paper to chemical byproducts.
Chet was also involved with a
management initiative to promote
personal responsibility. As Chet
puts it, “it’s about using your
brain and thinking for yourself,
not waiting to be told what to
do.” Chet was active in the effort
to create DuPont State Forest, and
has devoted his time and energy
to diverse organizations such as
United Way, the Hendersonville
Symphony Orchestra, and Life
After Cancer.
Thanks for your help, Chet!
You certainly help us live up to
our mission of saving our region’s
natural heritage. With the help
of Chet and more than 100
other CMLC volunteers, CMLC
protects our local land and water
resources.
*CMLC is starting a new program of
recognizing a dedicated volunteer in
each newsletter. The Yellow Lady Slipper
is a dramatic native orchid, unique to
our mountain region.
Please Support our 2006 Annual Appeal and Help Protect Land in Green
River Valley, North Mills River, Hickory Nut Gorge, and Beyond!
As each season turns, as each year goes by,
we realize how blessed we are to be living in this
beautiful mountain region of North Carolina.
And yet, with each passing day we realize, too,
how endangered our area is. There is an immense
urgency before us as we consider the work of land
preservation that we – the members, staff, and Board
of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy – have
undertaken.
CMLC’s current conservation projects will greatly
add to the region’s network of protected lands:
• Conservation easements on 3200 acres in the
upper Green River watershed
• Conservation easements on 800+ acres adjoining
Pisgah National Forest in North Mills River
• Continued projects for the Hickory Nut Gorge
State Park (500-700 acres)
• Conservation easement on 600 acres near Cashiers
• 8-10 new conservation easements to be completed
by year-end 2006
CMLC has proven its ability to work with a broad
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spectrum of landowners in the region to conserve
their land, and to raise substantial funds for highlevel property acquisitions. At the same time,
we need to increase awareness of CMLC in the
community and deepen our pool of supporters.
This is one of the most crucial moments in
CMLC’s growth. Our track record and reputation
for successful land conservation provide us with
more opportunities than ever to work on significant
conservation projects.
We can only save the places you love through
the dedication and generosity of our members and
volunteers, the support of foundations and private
donors, and thoughtful landowners who are as
committed as we are to defending our mountains.
Time is of the essence with 400 acres of farm,
forest and natural land being lost in North Carolina
every day. Please help us make 2006 a success for
local land—the mountains, rivers, farms and forests
we cherish. Mail your gift today. Or give online
through our website, www.carolinamountain.org.
Acre by acre, project by project, you are helping us
make a difference.
...Hickor y Nut Gorge Cont’d
A closer look at the preserved land
provides an interesting glimpse into
the past natural and human history
of the area. The independentlypreserved area includes the midNineteenth Century ruins of a
homestead and gristmill, which
will be rebuilt as a historic replica
and available as a venue space. In
addition to settlers who lived along
the Old Buncombe Turnpike, the
area was also used for farming by
the Cherokee and the occasional
arrowhead on the forest floor
evidences both hunting and colonial
contact with pioneers. In the 1820’s,
the dirt road (now Route 74A)
was improved, and as commerce
flourished, traders and travelers
herded cattle, geese, turkeys, and pigs,
giving the route its colloquial name,
the Drover’s Road.
Hickory Nut Forest, the
conservation development of
seventeen home sites on an adjoining
26 acres, has been designed as an
ecologically sustainable community
following design guidelines limiting
tree cutting and landscaping with
from Page 1
native plants. Home sites have
been intentionally located off
ridgelines and away from streams
and slopes to preserve the natural
vegetation in these areas.
These efforts serve as a
much-needed example of how
an environmentally sensitive
conservation development can
function in our region. Myers
explains, “Our intention has
always been to preserve as much
as possible of this special land in
its beautiful, natural condition for
current and future generations to
experience and enjoy.”
CMLC Joins
Earth Share
of NC
Earth Share is a nationwide
network of the country’s
most respected conservation
organizations and gives working
people the best opportunity to
support environmental
stewardship through payroll
contribution at the workplace.
CMLC’s First Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Treatments
On October 23rd,
Volunteer Michael Follo treating the root system
of a hemlock.
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CMLC’s Stewardship
Coordinator Bonnie Millar
organized CMLC’s first ever
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
treatment on the Florence
Preserve. In just over four
hours, volunteers treated 140
hemlocks. On November
20th and 27th, another 159
hemlocks were treated.
C AROLINA M OUNTAIN
L A N D C O N S E RVA N C Y
Board of Trustees
Jim Neal, President
Bob Youngerman, Vice President
Hilliard Staton, Secretary
David Keller, Treasurer
John Humphrey, Past President
Sara Bentley
Jon Calabria
David Efird
Reg Heinitsh
Suzanne Holbert
James Kessaris
Bill McAninch
Lee Mulligan
Brent O’Conner
Al Platt
Meridith Elliott Powell
Jerry Stone
Bob Wald
Advisory Board
Katie Breckheimer
Beverly Burns
Bob Carter
William Leatherwood
Jim McKinley
Larry Ragsdale
Luther Smith
Bill Thomas
Anne Valentine
Staff
Kieran Roe
Executive Director
Jennifer Beck
Watershed Coordinator
John Bonham
Farmland Preservation Coordinator
Vicki Catalano
AmeriCorps Project Director
Tom Fanslow
Land Protection Director
Suzanne Hohn
Outreach Coordinator
Bonnie Millar
Planning & Stewardship Coordinator
David Schenck
Development Director
AmeriCorps Members
Ayres Christ
Outreach Associate
Chase Milner
Land Program Associate
Sarah Pate
Land Program Associate
Lydia Willoughby
Outreach Associate
Landscape is published with
assistance from AmeriCorps by:
Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy
317 N. Washington Street, Suite 1
PO Box 2822
Hendersonville, NC 28793
Phone: (828) 697-5777
Email: [email protected]
www.carolinamountain.org
...Conservation Celebration Cont’d from Page 1
6th
Annual
Sponsors
Shagbark Hickory Sponsors
David & Charlene Efird
The Lake Guys of LakesEdge Realty
Scarlet Oak Sponsors
Times-News
Unique Mountain Properties
Wealth Advisor Group LLC
David Keller and Nora Murdock
Teddi Segal
Eastern Hemlock Sponsors
BRB Appraisal Associates
Katie and Steve Breckheimer
Chimney Rock Company
Don and Julie Huneycutt
Hemlock Healers
Bruce & Jacquelyn Rogow
Luther E. Smith & Associates
Mountain 1st Bank and Trust
Taylor Land & Cattle Company
Top of the Falls Realty
Karen Van Sickler & Chris Braund
Yellow Poplar Sponsors
Altamont Environmental Inc.
Ambient Design Group PLLC
Anonymous
B&A Hyder Trucking
Blue Ridge Metals
Charles Breckheimer and Sandra Schorr
Brooks & Medlock Engineering PLLC
Carland & Andersen Inc.
Chef Michael’s Catering Inc.
Equinox Environmental
Ken Gaylord Architects
Suzanne Holbert
Liz Honnold
Robert & Susan LaBorde
Kerns Landscape Architecture
William G. Lapsley & Associates PA
Macon Bank
Manual Woodworkers & Weavers
Weeks/Shanahan Team Merrill Lynch
Bob & Karen Mitchell
Morrow Insurance Agency
Lee and Tom Mulligan
Barbara and Jim Neal
Prudential Beacon Realty
RBC Centura
Rob McKown Realty Inc.
Speed and Beth Rogers
Slick Rock Cottage
Jerry and Ann Stone
The Transylvania Times Inc.
The Van Winkle Law Firm
Wachovia Securities
Waggoner & Rhodes Land Surveyors Inc.
Walnut Creek Preserve
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Event Committe members from left to
right: Katie Breckheimer, Amy Wald,
Betty Shevick, Judi Wellman, Suzanne
Hohn, Ellen Jefsen, Meredith Keever
and Marie Miller.
was fabulous! So delightfully
educational, touching and fun!”
The evening ended on an exciting
moment, when Charlie Jordan
won the door prize, a 3-night stay
at a Charleston beach, donated by
Robert Powell.
As CMLC’s Development
Director, David Schenck, puts
it,“Once again, our CMLC
Events Committee proved that
they’re the greatest ever. Under
the able leadership of our longtime friend, guide, and promoter
Katie Breckheimer, they arranged
a flawless event in a wonderful
setting, with terrific food and
splendid auctions. This committee even managed to divert the
rainstorm for a few hours – what
an amazing group! Many thanks
to those who worked so hard
to give us all a great party. And
thanks to our sponsors, to those
who bought auction items, and
to all who attended. You are the
people who make our work at
CMLC possible. We’re grateful
to you every day.”
Thanks to our 2006 Conservation Celebration
Shagbark Hickory Sponsors!
The Lake Guys
at LakesEdge Realty
David and
Charlene Efird
If the beauty of the Hickory Nut
Gorge--with its lush hardwood
forests, ephemeral wildflowers, and
countless waterfalls--slips away, we’ll
all lose. That’s why the Lake Guys at
LakesEdge Realty are involved with
projects that protect ridgelines and
help groups like Carolina Mountain
Land Conservancy to preserve the
Lake Lure area for future generations.
If you love the Lake Lure area as
much as we do, you’ll probably enjoy
working with us. Looking out for the
area’s natural beauty, and for the best
interests of our customers, is how the
Lake Guys do business. Online at
www.lakeguys.com, or call 625-9439.
The Efirds moved to
Chimney Rock in 2000, into
a 1935 vintage cottage across
from the Rocky Broad River.
David has been a real estate
broker since 1982; Charlene
has been in real estate for
four years and works in
Hendersonville with Keller
Williams. As David explains,
“The way I feel about
conservation is although we
are both real estate agents,
and certainly have helped
buyers and sellers exchange
a lot of real estate over the
years, we attach to that
responsibility a deep respect
for the land we sell. That
respect reflects the land’s past,
as well as its future use.”
C
McGrady Appointed to Board of
Water Protection Agency
huck McGrady has been
a leader in local and national
environmental efforts, including
serving in the past as president
of CMLC, Friends of DuPont
State Forest, and as national
president of the Sierra Club. This
spring, Chuck agreed to lend
his experience and knowledge
to CMLC by serving a new
three-year term on the Board
of Trustees. In September,
Chuck, who is also a Henderson
County Commissioner, was
appointed to the N.C. Clean
Water Management Trust Fund
(CWMTF).
CWMTF was established by
the North Carolina General
Assembly in 1996 to help finance
projects that enhance or restore
degraded waters, protect
unpolluted waters, and/or
contribute toward a network of
riparian buffers and greenways
for environmental, educational,
and recreational benefits. The
agency has played an important
role in many projects completed
by CMLC, primarily by
funding grants.
Because of CWMTF’s role
in our projects and to avoid
any conflicts of interest, Chuck
has resigned his position as a
CMLC board member.
While we will miss Chuck’s
presence on the board, we are
happy that Western North
Carolina now has such an able
representative on the CWMTF
board.
New CMLC Board members from left to right, Bill McAninch, David
Efird, Meridith Elliott Powell, and Chuck McGrady.
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Thanks to our
Conservation Celebration
Silent Auction Donors!
A Growing Concern
BB Barns
Brevard Music Center
Bubba O’Leary’s
Callaway Gardens
Chimney Rock Woods
Connestee Falls
Crystal Visions
Cynthia L. Wilson
Flight
Framingsupplies.com
Chimney Rock Bark and Twig
Gale’s Chimney Rock Shop
Glen Cannon Country Club
Hand-In-Hand Gallery
Harris Teeter
Hemlock Healers
Hendersonville Garden Center
Highlands Lake Inn
Jane Asher Antiques
Jane Vorhees
Jerry McAninch
John Bull Trading Company
Kenmure Country Club
Long Branch Studio
Maloney Design
Manual Woodworkers
Marie Miller
Mountain Lore Bookstore
Raymond’s Lawn/Garden
Sara Bentley
Scott Johnson
Sherwood Forest
Slick Rock Cottage
Sweetbrier
The Chimney Sweeps
Tom Ferguson
Van Wingerden
White Squirrel
Wickwire Gallery
Village Antiques
CMLC Welcomes New Staff
David Schenck
David
Development Director
Schenck joined
CMLC in August of this year
as our new Development
Director. David is a native of
Greensboro, North Carolina,
and attended UNC-Chapel Hill
and Duke, where he completed
his doctorate in religion and
culture in 1979. David has
pursued an assortment of work,
including being a professor
at Lehigh University and the
Executive Director of a free
medical clinic in Spartanburg,
SC. With his two sons out
of the house, David moved to
Asheville in 1997. David has
good reason to be involved in
the protection of land. During
his adolescent years, David
spent his summers at nearby
Camp High Rocks, navigating
the
region’s
waterways
and learning the virtues of
mountaineering. David now has
the opportunity to orchestrate
CMLC’s involvement with the
community and put to use his
more than twenty years of nonprofit experience.
Vicki Catalano
CMLC
AmeriCorps Program Director
welcomes new
staff member Vicki Catalano.
Originally from Durham,
Vicki went to Warren Wilson
College in Asheville, NC before
entering the nonprofit sector
with Planned Parenthood in
Charlotte, then moving to
Planned Parenthood Federation
of America in New York.
While in New York, she earned
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her Master’s Degree in Public
Administration from New York
University. She now returns
home to Asheville to serve as the
AmeriCorps Project Conserve
Program Director. Vicki and
her husband Dave are avid pool
players in their spare time and
live in West Asheville with their
two cats, Percy and Otis.
AmeriCorps Project Conserve
Starts Service Year Off
Strong!
A
meriCorps Project Conserve is now
in its third year with Carolina Mountain
Land Conservancy. Of eleven AmeriCorps
programs in North Carolina, it is the
only program in the state focused on
conservation.
Our eleven-month year started in early
September. Already, the team has provided
many services, including participating in
the Kids in the Creek program to teach kids
about water quality monitoring, assisting
Friends of DuPont State Forest with their
bi-annual “Tour de Falls,” providing
educational programs on land trusts and
conservation easements, guiding visitors
on nature hikes through Bat Cave, Lewis
Creek Nature Park, and Riverfront tours in
Asheville, organizing community volunteers
for kudzu removal projects, and coordinating
a trash clean up event at the World’s Edge
tract—soon to be part of the new Hickory
Nut Gorge State Park—with volunteers
from CMLC, The Nature Conservancy,
and NC State Department of Parks and
Recreation. And we are only two months
through our eleven month program! Keep
reading Landscape to find out more about
what Project Conserve is doing to protect the
region’s natural resources.
We are proud to have a team of 18 talented
team members placed in 12 sites throughout
Western North Carolina. Project Conserve
plans to expand next year and welcomes
nonprofit environmental organizations in
our region to contact Program Director Vicki
Catalano for information about hosting a
member for the 2007-2008 service year.
New IRA Charitable Distribution Option!
A new and important Individual Retirement Account
(IRA) management option now provides a unique
charitable contribution opportunity. This provision of
the Pension Protection Act of 2006 signed on August 17,
2006 is effective immediately, and could affect your 2006
tax planning and IRA income. Action in the next few
weeks will be essential to take full advantage of this rule
change.
These benefits are for those people 70½ and older
who hold a traditional IRA. The Independent Sector, a
leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate
giving programs, summarizes the new provision in this
way:
“This long-sought giving incentive permits donors who are
70½ and older to make contributions totaling up to $100,000
directly to public charities from a traditional IRA without having
to count the donation as taxable income. . . . The provision takes
effect immediately, but expires on December 31, 2007.”
--www.independentsector.org
This donation would qualify as part of your required
minimum distribution. As always in such matters, be
sure to contact your own professional tax or legal counsel
to ensure that your gifts will qualify under this new
provision. If you or anyone you know would like to
utilize this provision to make a gift to Carolina Mountain
Land Conservancy, please get in touch with David
Schenck, our new Development Director at 697-5777.
World’s Edge
Clean Up
On Friday, November 3rd, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and North Carolina State Parks lead
19 volunteers in a clean-up of World’s Edge, soon to be part of Hickory Nut Gorge State Park. CMLC’s
AmeriCorps Project Conserve members coordinated the volunteers. World’s Edge has been used as a local
dumping ground for trash and appliances for many years. Thanks to the local volunteers, North Carolina
Division of Parks and Recreation, The Nature Conservancy, AmeriCorps, and the NC Division of Forestry
B.R.I.D.G.E Crew, we were able to clean up the trash on the property. An impressive two full truckloads
of trash were removed from the property!
CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LAND CONSERVANCY
Yes! I want to help save our Carolina mountains!
New Member
Renewal
Contribution
Name: __________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________
City/State/Zip: ____________________________________
Phone: _________________ Email: ___________________
Giving Level
$35
$50
$100
$250
Other $_____
Contributions to CMLC are tax-deductible.
Make checks payable to CMLC
Secure online giving at www.carolinamountain.org
Credit Card Information
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Credit Card Number: ________________________
Exp. Date: _______ /________
Name as printed on card: ______________________
Credit card billing address (if different from mailing):
(Street/City/State/Zip)_________________________
__________________________________________
I want to learn more about the many ways of giving to the Conservancy. Please send me information about:
Volunteer Opportunities
Conservation Easements
Land Donations
Bequests
Life Estates
Thank you for your commitment to land conservation!
Mail to: PO Box 2822, Hendersonville, NC 28793
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In-kind Contributions
CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LAND CONSERVANCY
NON PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
HENDERSONVILLE NC
PERMIT NO. 713
317 N. Washington Street
PO Box 2822
Hendersonville, NC 28793
(828) 697-5777
www.carolinamountain.org
Volunteers Keep CMLC Going
MARK YOUR
C A L E N DA R S
January 12th
Volunteer Soirée
January 20th
CMLC hike in
DuPont State Forest
April 15th
Annual Meeting
Ken Borgfeldt and Beverly
Burns help prepare last
month’s Appeal mailing in the
CMLC conference room.
Volunteers from Project
Challenge pull invasive plants at
the Lewis Creek Nature Park.
Volunteer Botanist Tom
Ferguson in action with
hikers at the September 24th
Lewis Creek Nature Walk.