The Needmore Tract Enters the Public Trust

The 4500-acre Needmore Tract was purchased by the State of North Carolina in January of 2004. The Tract encompasses 26 miles of Little Tennessee River frontage, 37 miles of tributary streams to the river and serves as the keystone to the forested corridor connecting the Nantahala and Cowee Mountain Ranges. The Little Tennessee River through the Needmore is home to half the native, freshwater fish species in North Carolina and the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in the State.

Over four years, rural residents, local governments, sportsmen and environmentalists united efforts to conserve this extraordinary landscape. The $19 million dollar purchase was made possible by $7.5 million from the Ecological Enhancement Program, $6.6 million from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, $1.5 million from the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, $2 million from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and $2 million from private donations. The Tract is now managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to protect water quality and wildlife habitat while maintaining traditional uses of the land.

The Macon-County based Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Durham-based NC Chapter of the Nature Conservancy played key non-profit roles in helping the State to acquire this critical tract. LTLT contributed $450,000 toward the private funds needed for the project thanks to grants from the Lyndhurst Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

LTLT Continues to Expand River Corridor Conservation

The twenty-five miles of free-flowing Little Tennessee River downstream of the town of Franklin is considered the “Noah’s Ark” of Blue Ridge rivers due to its rich biological diversity. The river corridor also encompasses the most intact archeological landscape remaining of the 18th century Cherokee. With the purchase of the Needmore Tract over half of this reach of river was preserved for present and future generations.

LTLT continues to expand its work to conserve this entire river corridor. Over the past three years LTLT has acquired four other parcels along this reach of river totaling some 270 acres and 1.35 miles of river frontage. These conservation projects include: (a) the Raby Bend Tract comprising 57 acres on Raby Bend adjacent to a Needmore outlying parcel which was purchase in 2001, setting the stage for the conservation of the greater Needmore Tract, (b) the Gibson Bottoms which encompasses 36 acres and a large floodplain upstream of Iotla Bridge which was to be developed as a floodplain RV park which would have comprised the first point-source of pollution to this reach of river, (c) 160 acres at Lost Bridge and (d) another 16 acres at Queen Branch. The last two acquisitions extended by a mile the river frontage protected upstream of the main body of the Needmore Tract. Queen Branch was donated by Duke Power to LTLT.

By mid-2005 LTLT plans to protect another three parcels spanning over a mile of river frontage is this area. These include (1) the largest, unprotected stand of mountain floodplain forest in the area – on a site that had been surveyed into 16 riverfront lots, (2) the parcel adjacent to LTLT’s Gibson Bottoms project which will complete the protection of a large floodplain/wetland complex, and (3) the acquisition of a working farm conservation easement covering a half mile river frontage and floodplain in the heart of the ancient Cherokee town of Cowee.

Protecting farmland and floodplain in this area we believe is the best way to maintain the biological wealth and historic landscape found along this exceptional reach of river.