Saturday, Nov. 10, was the second annual open house at the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee’s (TLT) Tessentee Farm. The farm, a 19th century farmstead, was purchased by TLT in 1999. It is located at the confluence of the Little Tennessee River and Tessentee Creek about 7 miles south of Franklin off Hickory Knoll Road. The original purchase was 60 acres. This year the trust was able to acquire four more adjoining acres.

Paul Carlson, executive director of TLT, said about 150 people showed up to enjoy refreshments, music and tour the farm. Interpretive signs had been installed along the trails around the property to give visitors a feeling for the history of the farm and to describe the restoration work TLT was doing.

The old farmstead provides small segments of diverse habitats. There is a strip of large old oak forest next to the farmhouse that leads out to a red cedar savannah. A small pond has been added to the property with the recent acquisition.

There is one wetlands on the property, and the trust has partnered with North Carolina DOT to do groundwater monitoring in other areas that may have been wetlands before the property was converted to agricultural use. If found suitable, these lands might be restored as mitigation for wetlands lost in the area.

Neighbors and area schools have volunteered time and resources to help with restoration projects at Tessentee Farm. Roger Seay has voluntarily prepared about an acre-and-a-half of Tessentee bottoms that will be sowed with five different species of native grasses; big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian, switch and Virginia wild rye.

Rabun Gap Nacoochee school eighth-graders planted plugs of 10 different native forbes, obtained from Warren Wilson College, during their annual work day. The grasses and forbes will help provide some northern bob-white habitat.

Squirrels, rabbits, foxes, bobcats, deer and beaver are some of the mammals that inhabit Tessentee Farm. A checklist of birds, started last fall includes 90 different species on the property.

As one might expect, the red cedar savannah, the wetlands and abandoned fields make ideal sparrow habitat. A quick turn around the property last Saturday produced five species of sparrows: song, field, white-throated, white-crowned and swamp. Vesper, Lincoln’s and fox sparrows have also been recorded on the farm.

While the 70-plus degree temperature belied the onset of autumn, swarms of golden-crowned kinglets and the presence of myrtle warblers told a different story. These Tessentee Farm winter residents are harbingers of reality: winter is coming.

Whole-tree revetments built along the stream and hardwoods planted atop the bank will help stabilize the riverside and create a riparian buffer zone. TLT also has plans to improve fish habitat in the Little Tennessee. A large area of the bottoms as well as other places along the river are being allowed to revert to tall river-cane breaks.

Young pine stands have been thinned to allow room for the trees to grow larger and to favor the longer-lived shortleaf and pitch pine. Mixed pine and hardwoods have also been thinned to favor more moisture-tolerant species of oaks and hickories.

The farm is open to the public and self-guided trails offer the opportunity to enjoy the rich flora and fauna and educate yourself about restoration methods and projects being utilized. If these methods, were applied along the course of the upper Little Tennessee, they could help restore it to something comparable to the bountiful waters downstream of the Lake Emory Dam.

Tessentee Farm and TLT can use your help. If you would like to join neighbors like Roger Seay and organizations like the Boy Scouts of America and Rabun Gap Nacoochee School by volunteering time and/or resources, call the land trust at 828.524.2711.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News