Little Cove Creek

New Waterfall Access

Other

George and Jean Nilsen donated their 49-acre Little Cove Creek Farm in Carter County, TN to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in 1984, reserving a life-estate to use and enjoy the property during their lifetimes. Now almost 40 years later, SAHC has purchased a 17-acre tract to add to the preserve. This new acquisition connects SAHC’s Little Cove Creek Preserve with the Cherokee National Forest.

“This special slice of land was an important addition to our wonderful Little Cove Creek Preserve,” says Land Protection Director Michelle Pugliese. “The property can be seen from the Appalachian Trail, and the main branch of Little Cove Creek, classified as a Tennessee Exceptional Stream, flows along the western boundary. It has been SAHC’s long-time goal to acquire this tract to bridge the Little Cove Creek Preserve with the national forest.”

The protected portion of Little Cove Creek and a small waterfall are special features of the newly acquired land. During our June Jamboree partnership hike with Pathways to Parks this summer, hikers enjoyed seeing the new tract and waterfall in person. The intrepid Challenge Hike participants for the June Jamboree charted an offtrail course, descending from the Hackline Trail on Cherokee National Forest and following

Little Cove Creek into SAHC’s preserve. It is a lovely destination for guided hikes in our Connecting People with Land Program!

“Acquiring this tract will enable SAHC to maintain a short interpretive trail loop, allowing guests to our Little Cove Creek Preserve to visit the cascading waterfall as well as historic gravesites, rock walls, and foundations on the original property,” adds Associate Director Kristy Urquhart.

Closing the gap between SAHC’s preserve and national forest land helps secure unbroken habitat corridors for wildlife and plants, and protects a crucial link in protecting the Doe River Watershed, one of the best trout fishing areas in the entire state.

Continuing the Conservation Legacy

Donated in 1984 subject to a retained life estate, the original Little Cove Creek tract was SAHC’s first long-term nature preserve. Although SAHC had purchased other tracts of land in the Highlands of Roan prior to 1984, these other tracts were transferred to U.S. Forest Service ownership or other public land entities. George and Jean Nilsen were close friends of SAHC’s founders, and wanted SAHC to own and preserve their beloved farm forever.

“I enjoyed hiking this property years ago with George Nilsen, and I was excited to share this remarkable place and stories of SAHC’s leaders with guests at this year’s June Jamboree,” recalls Jay Leutze, Senior Advisor to the Board. “Some of the early meetings to plan SAHC’s land protection and stewardship of the Highlands of Roan took place on the Nilsen farmstead. The preserve was used for nine years to house the botanist and stage the goats for the Baa-Tany Goat Project. It was such an important place for some of the early stewards of the Roan that they chose to be buried there — including Ed and Barbara Schell and SAHC founder Stan Murray.”

With the recently protected tract, SAHC’s Little Cove Creek Preserve now totals 66 acres. We are thrilled that the property is part of SAHC’s Connecting People with Land Program, and deeply grateful to the conservation-minded leaders and SAHC supporters who made the purchase and permanent protection of this land possible!

New interpretive trail at Little Cove Creek Preserve

SAHC staff and volunteers designed and built the interpretive trail on the preserve with assistance from East TN Trails Association.

We improved the route to the waterfall with erosion control, blazes, and a new stream crossing.

During a work day this fall led by Roan Technician Olivia Dossett, volunteers also helped clean up an old family cemetery near the ruins of a historic homesite. Volunteers installed new fencing to help preserve the cemetery site, said to be the Jarrett children’s cemetery.

The new trail will be a part of our Connecting People with Land program, and we are very grateful to all the volunteers who assisted in this project!