Beaverdam – 81 Acres Adjoining Rough Creek Watershed
“There used to be an old house just below the ridge where my great-grandmother, Bessie Scott Robinson, was born in 1917,” recalls Rusty Cook, former landowner of a 81-acre tract of land that Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased in the Beaverdam community of Haywood County.
The land had been in Rusty’s family for decades. Now in his early 20s, he was just 13 years old when his great-grandmother passed away at the venerable age of 97 and left a tract of land in trust for him.
Connections
“I grew up on that land; it has always been part of my backyard,” says Rusty. “It’s such a pretty place. My family used the land for grazing and farming, and my neighbor and I were always up there – hunting or just getting out of the house. I knew I wanted to build a house on the land where my grandmother was born. Now we can do that, and the rest of the mountain will be protected.”
Rusty and his wife Caidyn retained a portion of the tract that Rusty inherited; they had decided to keep a piece closer to the road and sell the rest to make their dream a reality. Selling the upper portion of the property to SAHC allowed the majority of the land to be permanently conserved, while the proceeds from the sale enabled Rusty and his wife to establish a home in the community they love. It’s a win-win for people, plants, animals, and water quality.
Conservation Values
“This property shares a boundary with the Town of Canton’s Rough Creek Watershed and is contiguous with other SAHC nature preserves,” says Conservation Director Hanni Muerdter. “SAHC’s purchase of the land expands conservation in the Beaverdam Creek drainage area, provides connectivity for wildlife movement, and helps sustain a buffer for the Rough Creek Watershed, which contains public trails. Visitors to viewpoints on the public land look into the recently conserved tract. One of my favorite views from the Rough Creek trail system is of this property and looking down the Beaverdam valley.”
SAHC plans to own and manage the land as a nature preserve for the long term; a portion of the land is still in agricultural use for grazing.
Community
“I love seeing how land conservation can help people realize their own goals and dreams while preserving life-sustaining resources for future generations and honoring the legacy of past generations,” adds Hanni. This land has been in Rusty’s family for decades. He grew up here and was interested in keeping the lower portion of his tract so he could build a house for his young family. This is a great example of how conservation funding can enable families to continue to live in the area and protect their family land – especially relevant now in the Canton area, as the site of recent economic impacts due to the mill closure. We are deeply grateful to the generous supporters of conservation who made this land purchase possible.”
Rusty is reusing some of the wood from the house where his great-grandmother was born in the construction of his own home. Conservation of resources is nothing new to mountain families. He remembers hearing stories from the older folks who “only got one pair of shoes a year, and even if they wore them out wouldn’t get another pair until winter.”
“I think it’s a good thing that SAHC is purchasing land to conserve in the Beaverdam community,” adds Rusty. “It’s still an old neighborhood. Down near the road the land has been developed some, but the higher ridges and upper streams have remained relatively untouched. I’m glad it was able to stay that way.”
