78 MORE Acres Protected in Upper Beaverdam Creek Watershed
SAHC recently purchased 78 acres in Haywood County including a section of upper Beaverdam Creek. The property is mostly forested, rising from the banks of Beaverdam Creek up the hillside to adjoin another SAHC preserve just east of the Town of Canton’s Rough Creek Watershed.
“This tract adds to an assemblage of protected land that we have been fortunate to conserve around upper Beaverdam Creek,” explains Conservation Director Hanni Muerdter. “Overall, SAHC has preserved over 1,200 acres on both sides of Beaverdam Creek and in the surrounding area.”
The property directly adjoins the 54-acre Beaverdam tract that SAHC purchased in 2020, which links to additional SAHC-owned land and also connects over the ridge to the Rough Creek Watershed, owned by the Town of Canton. SAHC worked with the Town of Canton to preserve the 873-acre Rough Creek Watershed in 2003 through a grant from the NC Land and Water Fund (formerly the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fun). The Rough Creek Watershed is open to the public with a network of hiking and mountain biking trails, and SAHC continues to monitor the conservation easement on these publicly-accessible watershed lands each year. On either side of Beaverdam Creek, SAHC has protected consecutively adjoining tracts over the past several years, which link all the way to Doubleside Knob.
“Landowners who have been in the valley for a long time want to see the land conserved, and they have reached out to us directly to see if we would purchase their property,” says Muerdter. “We are thrilled to be able to continue to provide an option to landowners who would like to see their historic family land protected.”
“Connecting permanently protected pieces of land is like assembling a puzzle,” continues Muerdter.
“Each connecting piece of the puzzle helps better fill in the picture and improves overall conservation results. For example, preserving water quality can be done more efficiently when the land surrounding streams, rivers, and lakes is protected. Animals can move more freely to migrate or search for food and shelter when there are unbroken areas of habitat. Whenever possible, we try to conserve large-acreage tracts of land because they provide multiple benefits and efficiencies in preserving natural resources. However, sizable properties have become rare across the mountains of NC and TN as ownership of land becomes subdivided across successive generations. SAHC has worked with multiple landowners to piece together connected preserves – which will make it easier to manage the forest and restore stream quality in the long run.”
Beaverdam Creek’s water quality is considered to be on the decline, and SAHC’s purchase of the tract improves surface water quality by permanently protecting part of the stream from development. SAHC will manage the property according to best management practices for water quality, which will help reduce sedimentation, bacteria levels, and runoff.
“Beaverdam Creek has a priority action plan written by Haywood Waterways Association, which emphasizes additional land protection for water quality improvement,” adds Muerdter. “Portions of Beaverdam Creek on this property have been impacted in the past, and SAHC’s purchase of this section of stream presents an opportunity for future restoration and repair.”
This 78-acre land purchase directly supports the Beaverdam Watershed Action Plan, produced by Haywood Waterways and the Pigeon River Fund.
“HWA’s sole mission is to protect and improve the water quality across the Pigeon River Watershed, which includes the Beaverdam Watershed,” said Preston Jacobson, the executive director of Haywood Waterways Association. “Conserving these lands ensures this community and those downstream will benefit from improved water quality and we are honored to call SAHC a partner in this and many other projects across Haywood County. We look forward to continuing this partnership and the benefits it provides our communities.”
SAHC will own and manage the land in the long-term for forest health and water quality.
“We are grateful to the many SAHC supporters and dedicated philanthropic leaders who made this preserve purchase possible and who have supported the long-term commitment to protecting land and water in Haywood County,” says Muerdter.
