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Foothills Land Conservancy

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Foothills Land Conservancy

Visit us at http://www.foothillsland.org to learn more and make a donation.

Celebrating 40+ years of service as a regional land trust, FLC has assisted in the preservation of 200,000+ acres in 52 Tennessee counties & 6 surrounding states.

05/20/2026

FLC's 2026 Summer Celebration was another beautiful evening spent with our Friends of the Foothills! A big thank you to everyone that joined us at RiverView, including our Host Committee, Corporate Sponsors, and Event Partners!

This year's event got underway with great friends, a stellar menu, and beautiful weather! You can see all the memorable moments by viewing this year's Celebration photos, courtesy of Doug Mills.

Check out our 2026 Celebration Photos: https://ow.ly/sc0j50Z2a12

As part of FLC's program, Executive Director, Mark Stevans, announced The Oliver Tract Campaign. This campaign is once-in-a generation opportunity to add over 600 acres to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), the most visited national park in the country. Stay tuned for more details and how you can help support this campaign!

05/16/2026

Thursday night's announcement at Foothills Land Conservancy's Summer Celebration was very special indeed! Check out WBIR's story highlighting this unique conservation opportunity. More details to come!

https://ow.ly/9xEI50Z0rFF

05/04/2026

(Online Webinar - Thursday, May 7th at 1PM EST)

Preservation Partners: Conservation Easements in Tennessee

Conservation easements provide estate planners with a powerful, tax-advantaged tool to help clients preserve family land, reduce estate burdens and create lasting legacies. This free webinar will walk through the legal framework, attorney checklist and real-world application of conservation easements designed to enhance your practice and deliver meaningful client outcomes.

Join Foothills Land Conservancy Executive Director Mark Stevans for a session on how to integrate these easements into estate planning strategies.

Register here: https://ow.ly/B17f50YRicz

04/08/2026

Last year, FLC profiled 40 conservation stories in honor of our 40th anniversary as a regional land trust. We are continuing this series and all stories can be found at our website's 'Our Stories' link (https://ow.ly/OAbx50YxMju).

Tucked into the rugged landscape of Marion County, about 25 miles from Chattanooga, Little Sequatchie Cove is one of the region’s most intact and ecologically significant natural areas, defined by forested ridgelines, waterfalls, headwater streams, and expansive, unbroken viewsheds. Nearly 11,000 acres of this landscape is now permanently protected through a collaborative conservation effort between Foothills Land Conservancy (FLC) and Appalachian Conservation Institute (ACI).

FLC continues to hold and annually monitor the conservation easements, working closely with ACI to ensure all land management activities comply with easement terms designed to protect the Cove’s unique natural and ecological features. ACI’s stewardship focuses on long-term preservation, restoration, and scientific education, ensuring these lands remain intact and ecologically healthy for generations to come. https://ow.ly/2Uow50YCPtp

04/03/2026

FLC's Director of Natural Resources, Shelby Lyn Sanders, and FLC's GIS Analyst and Field Biologist, Bailey Daining, stopped by the WJHL (Tri-Cities) studio yesterday.

Shelby and Bailey discussed the non-profit’s work partnering with landowners to preserve properties like family farms and critical natural habitats with WJHL's Murry Lee and Chris Mcintosh on their program, Outdoors Appalachia.

Listen here: https://ow.ly/SZYh50YCQCU

03/25/2026

Last year, FLC profiled 40 conservation stories in honor of our 40th anniversary as a regional land trust. We are continuing this series and all stories can be found at our website's 'Our Stories' link (https://ow.ly/OAbx50YxMju).

As communities along the Nolichucky River continue recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024, Rick Long is quietly restoring not only his newly purchased property but also preserving a piece of Tennessee history for generations to come.

Just before Helene struck, Rick purchased a 25-acre piece of property from Donahue Bible, husband of the late Betty Everhart Bible whose family has been connected to the Dr. M.P. Everhart legacy homestead property for over 100 years.

The damage from Helene was more than merely cosmetic. The storm completely restructured the layout of the land and caused significant debris damage along the river corridor, rerouting the flow of the river during the flood.

Since then, recovery efforts have removed an estimated 50,000 cubic feet of storm debris from the adjacent, upstream Nolichucky River area, with cleanup and restoration by local landowners still ongoing.

Rick explains, “Helene’s extreme river flooding caused widespread destruction, to not only my land but to the David Crockett Birthplace State Park, the Appalachian Trail Corridor, and Cherokee National Forest. The devastation caused by such flooding, wind-driven blowdowns, and slope failures will take years for our region to recover from. Without forest cover, water accelerates, erodes slopes and overwhelms creeks and rivers faster. While we still had unprecedented damage, without conserved lands, it would have likely been much worse.”

Read more here: https://ow.ly/RByv50YxMjt

03/04/2026

FLC's Director of Natural Resources, Shelby Lyn Sanders, captured this calming scene during a monitoring visit in Gilmer County, Georgia. We wanted to share with all of you!

02/28/2026

In honor of National Invasive Species Awareness Week NAISMA, FLC wanted to share updates regarding our multi-year invasive plant eradication program at the Harris Farm.

While majestic, FLC’s office headquarters has its share of invasive exotics like privet and honeysuckle and this year’s piece de resistance, the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), is the priority.

FLC landscaper, Andy Cunningham, has set his sights on removing all maturity levels of this tree in portions of the Harris Farm woodlands. Depending on the tree’s size, Andy will use a pocketknife, or for more mature trunks, a hatchet or small chainsaw will be used to cut through a portion of the tree of heaven’s trunk. Research shows that the tree can still thrive if it’s cut all the way though so only a portion is disturbed.

Next up, applying herbicide using a method known as ‘cut and paste’, directly to the cut. Direct application to the stump immediately after cutting helps to minimize herbicide contact with non-targeted plants and reduces any exposure to animals. Adding a bright color to the solution assists with unnecessary reapplication.

For Andy, the work to eradicate these invasives is a ‘never-ending story’. “There is always a new section of the woodlands to tackle, something new popping up that needs to be addressed. It’s best to try and get these cuts done prior to the summer season.”

Check out previous posts of the FLC staff addressing invasives in the Harris Farm woods.

(March 2022) https://ow.ly/smYF50Yn6qM

(April 2020) https://ow.ly/O5V450Yn6qJ

These helpful links can assist you with identifying and removing invasive plants and shrubs while also cultivating a more native approach.

Landscaping with native plants and shrub for different regions across TN: https://ow.ly/BtII50Yn6qL

Learn about the different invasive plants here: https://ow.ly/hMTN50Yn6qK

Homeowners Invasive Plant Primer (Identify/Control/Replant): https://ow.ly/Ig4350Yn6qO

02/27/2026

Last year, FLC kicked off our landowner profile series highlighting 40 conservation stories in honor of our 40th anniversary as a regional land trust. We plan to continue this series into 2026 and beyond. You can find all of the current and upcoming stories on our website at the link 'Our Stories' (https://foothillsland.org/who-we-are/our-stories/).

This 13-acre property in Carter County is within the State of Tennessee Wildlife Action Plan’s Blue Ridge Conservation Opportunity Area, a high-priority region focused on protecting Southern Appalachian ecosystems. It’s easy to understand why:

Plants and natives: It’s a young forest on a mountainous slope, near Roan Mountain State Park and with the Cherokee National Forest along its southern border. Because of its significant elevation, many of the plants found here are uncommon, almost as though they exist within their own micro-climate. These include Tennessee Starwort (Stellaria corei), green false hellebore (Veratrum viride), fire cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) - pictured, and umbrella-leaf (Diphylleia cymosa).

Birds: The land is also a hotspot during spring migration, and interesting species are seen every year, including Least Flycatcher, Veery, Canada Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The landowner is continuing to preserve it as a relatively natural early successional habitat for wildlife, especially as a potential breeding site for the rare Golden-winged Warbler. Joyce Brill was an avid bird watcher during her life, and the family feels it is especially appropriate that the conservation of this property might assist with restoring their habitat.

Water: A stream skirting the southeast corner of the tract, is recognized among Exceptional Tennessee Waters by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for being natural breeding grounds of the southern brook trout, and the habitat for the state endangered mountain St. John’s Wort.

Read more here: https://ow.ly/MO3x50YmUvi

02/13/2026

The Foothills team observed two of "our" great blue herons this morning at the Harris Farm. We always look forward to their annual return as they begin nesting activities.

What a timely sighting as today is the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Use this link to learn more and participate! https://www.birdcount.org/

Address

3402 Andy Harris Road
Rockford, TN
37853

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+18656818326

Website

http://www.foothillsland.org/

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