LTLT to host celebration at Tessentee Bottomland Preserve

On Saturday, November 7, come celebrate ten years of stewardship on LTLT’s Tessentee property in Otto.  The Celebration begins at 11:00 and continues until 4:00 and includes music by the Frog Town 5, tours of the property, annual conservation award presentation, and demonstrations by Cherokee artisans and others.  All activities are FREE for the entire family, and food may be purchased on-site from Big Mountain BB-Q.  In November of 1999 LTLT purchased 60 acres at the confluence of Tessentee Creek and the Little Tennessee River.  This was the first land protected on the free-flowing Little Tennessee, and now a decade later – with 30 land protection projects – more than 5200 acres and 35 miles of river frontage have been conserved.
 
LTLT’s purchase of the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve not only launched an extraordinary river corridor conservation initiative, it also created a laboratory for land restoration and stewardship in the valley.  At Tessentee LTLT purchased an old dairy farm with diverse soils, abundant water, and an historic farmstead.  LTLT conducted a detailed inventory and sought expert advice in developing a management plan to restore the rich and diverse natural and cultural heritage resources found here in the heart of the upper Little Tennessee River Valley.  

The riverbanks have been stabilized and reforested, and a wetland area has been partially restored.    LTLT began their invasive exotic plant control program at Tessentee and initiated the long process of converting fescue pastures to more diverse grassland habitats and open woodlands.  
 
At Tessentee LTLT first began its collaboration with Cherokee artisans in the management and harvest of rivercane.  This collaboration has expanded to the establishment of experimental plantations of butternut and white oak for production of other traditional artisan materials.  The Tessentee Preserve is stop #53 on the NC Birding Trail with the preserve’s bird list at 115 species and butterfly list at 42 species and counting.  Here one can hike the most extensive trail system found on any LTLT property.  Volunteers have also helped to restore the historic farmstead – by restoring the apple house, smoke house, and in recent months the foundation of the historic farmhouse.
 
Now a decade later, the Tessentee Preserve is a rich mosaic of wildlife and plant habitats, and it serves as a microcosm of LTLT’s stewardship and restoration work in this historic valley.  It is a wonderful place to walk and to appreciate the extraordinary richness and diversity of the upper Little Tennessee.

On November 7, come see what ten years of stewardship has accomplished.  For more information please contact Kate Parkerson at 828-524-2711 x203 or kparkerson@ltlt.org.