Property in Giles County Will Add to Conserved Lands, Protect Forest & Views
Chuck McCaugherty’s family has lived in Giles County since before the county was established in 1806. His family owned a large farm on Doe Creek, and he was the last member of the family to live there before the farm was sold in the 1970’s. He asked his grandmother to keep aside 50 acres with a spring from the larger farm, and now the retired biology professor is working with New River Land Trust to place a conservation easement on the property he owns with his wife Martha.
The property has several large walnut and sugar maple trees, and much of the the land is mature hardwood forest. It also has a great deal of scenic value – the view from a popular overlook going up Mountain Lake Road looks out over the property. The land is also important for water quality and contains a spring that feeds into Doe Creek, part of the New River watershed.
The McCaugherty land is close to the 3,500-acre Little Stony and Little Meadows properties the Land Trust helped conserve last year. “It’s another piece in the puzzle of conserved land in the Mountain Lake/Little Stony Creek area,” said John Eustis, Executive Director of NRLT. “The land in this area is critical to conserve for water quality, scenic views, climate change resilience, and protecting rare and endangered species.” The Land Trust is meeting with several additional landowners about protecting an additional 1,400 acres in the area.
The post Property in Giles County Will Add to Conserved Lands, Protect Forest & Views appeared first on New River Land Trust.