 It’s hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since The Land Trust for Tennessee and the University of the South protected 3,000 acres around Lost and Champion Coves. In addition to this great news, the conservation of this resource has inspired three other landowners to protect properties adjacent to Lost and Champion Coves through The Land Trust for Tennessee. Dedicated to continuing conservation efforts in the area and furthering the work towards creating a corridor of protected lands on the South Cumberland Plateau, three adjoining landowners in Champion Cove – John and Melissa Goodson, John and Lynn Adams, and Dr. Lee Stapleton committed to protecting their properties through The Land Trust. Together, they donated conservation easements on more than 530 acres in 2007 adding to the already protected 3,000 acre Lost Cove. “We’re glad we could work with The Land Trust,” said John Adams. “We encourage more people to do this, to protect this amazing resource.”  Many players and pieces have come together to further connect the public lands in the area into a mosaic of intact forestlands. This past summer, The Land Trust worked together with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to add 132 acres to Carter State Natural Area. The property consists of the primary entrance and parking area, and a significant portion of the scenic trail to Buggytop Cave. The Land Trust is currently working with several landowners and the State of Tennessee to preserve the rich biological diversity and unique forested landscapes known to exist in the South Cumberland area. The region is believed to be one of the largest privately owned forested areas remaining in the Southeastern United States. To date, The Land Trust has protected more than 5,000 acres of unique, bio-diverse cove and plateau landscapes within the South Cumberland Project Area and continues to work intently to advance the already strong momentum of conservation in this area. For more information about our efforts on the South Cumberland Plateau or to talk about protecting your land in the area, please contact Chris Roberts our South Cumberland Region Project Manager at 931-598-9690. |
