Appreciating the beauty and ecological importance of the Highlands of Roan, Ben and Leah Sherman recently donated 15 acres in Carter County, TN to SAHC for us to protect forever from development. The property adjoins Cherokee National Forest and can be seen from the Appalachian Trail. Located a scant quarter mile from our Little Cove Creek Preserve, the new preserve borders national forest land at the foot of Wolf Ridge, a high elevation ridgeline that descends from Roan High Knob.
“In 2001, we fell in love with the property adjacent to Cherokee National Forest, at the base of Wolf Ridge on the north side of Roan High Knob,” shared the former landowners Ben and Leah Sherman. “For more than 10 years we raised our young boys among the rocks and creeks and the cozy shadows of The Roan.”
“When we had to relocate, we knew we wanted to conserve as much of the land as possible. We were aware of SAHC before buying the land and increasingly learned of the good work SAHC does protecting so many beautiful areas. We are so happy SAHC will protect this property for future generations.”
Although small in acreage, the property contains significant habitat and water resources. More than half of the property is covered by open areas and early successional forest, which could potentially serve as habitat for rare species such as the Golden-winged Warbler. Nearly 1,000 feet of streams flow through it, including a portion of Big Cove Creek, one of the headwater tributaries of the Doe River. The Doe River watershed is popular for trout fishing.
Near the new preserve in every direction there are public lands popular for recreation — Roan Mountain State Park to the north, Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area to the east, and the Appalachian Trail and national forests to the west and south.
We are very grateful to Ben and Leah Sherman for donating this land for permanent conservation, and to Brad and Shelli Stanback for donating funds for transaction costs and long-term stewardship of the property.