Special to IFN

Working with the Three Rivers Land Trust, the Patterson family has protected a large tract of land north of Harmony from development.

Three Rivers Land Trust has worked with three separate landowners and their families over the years to conserve over 1,535 acres in this area. This effort began in 1999, with the protection of 640 acres of the Daltonia Plantation. In 2011, the Grose family conserved their adjacent farm which totaled over 490 acres. On July 26, the Patterson family added to that legacy by conserving an additional 405 acres.

This newly conserved farm has 1.2 miles of stream frontage along Hunting Creek, a major tributary to the South Yadkin River, where many local residents get their drinking water.

“Saving family farms and protecting local waters encompass two of our three focus areas at Three Rivers Land Trust,” said Travis Morehead, executive director of the Land Trust. “This easement not only permanently protects this land from being developed, it also ensures that a buffered natural area will always exist between the fields and Hunting Creek, preventing erosion and naturally filtering water before it enters the stream.”

“According to the American Farmland Trust, Iredell County is the 38th most-threatened county in the nation for farmland loss,” Senior Land Protection Specialist Emily Callicutt said. “North Carolina is poised to lose more than 1 million acres of farmland by 2040, and working with landowners like the Patterson family to conserve large farms like theirs is a significant step in preventing farmland loss in central North Carolina.”

This project was made possible through a generous conservation easement donation by the Patterson Family, and the support of corporate partners, including Chick-fil-A and SC Johnson. The Patterson family wanted to protect this land to honor the generations of their family who have farmed the property.

LEARN MORE

To find out how to protect your property or to support Three Rivers Land Trust in its conservation mission, contact Emily Callicutt, Senior Land Protection Specialist, at emily@trlt.org or 704-647-0302.

About Three Rivers Land Trust

Three Rivers Land Trust works with private landowners and public agencies to conserve the most important natural, scenic, agricultural, and historic places in a 15-county region of the Piedmont and Sandhills of North Carolina. Since 1995, the Land Trust has worked to offer reasonable and attractive options to landowners who want to conserve their lands for future generations to enjoy.