Dear Friends of the Foothills,

As we can all likely agree, our region’s popularity is growing! New business, visitors, and residents to our area appreciate the rural character and majestic views of the Great Smoky Mountains, especially from the latest motorway opening of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley.

The breathtaking landscape and views along the Foothills Parkway remain exceptional not only in in their beauty but also in the balance of productive farms, forests, and natural areas. The increased interest by the public at large often gives landowners pause as they reflect on their wishes for the long-term stewardship of their property. Especially if those desires are for the land to remain in its natural state or as a working farm.

The protection and stewardship of these outstanding views from the Foothills Parkway are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! With your support of FLC’s Scenic Viewshed Initiative we can preserve these views for our community now and for future generations.

The Conservancy’s Scenic Viewshed Initiative focuses on:

  • The preservation of lands and natural features looking out from the overlooks along the Foothills Parkway towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and adjacent foothills.
  • The collaboration with private landowners, whose properties are located within these viewshed areas, in order to promote and partner on voluntary land conservation tools and stewardship practices – all for the purpose of retaining their land’s rural character and scenic charm.

About FLC’s Land Conservation Options:

  • Conservation Easement Agreements – Property owners who wish to see their land remain as a working farm and/or natural area can partner with FLC in order to permanently protect the property’s agricultural practices, scenic values, and wildlife habitat. This type of partnership is called a conservation easement agreement and it is a voluntary, customizable, and legal agreement that specifies what can and cannot take place on the property. The landowner continues to own the property. Read more about conservation easements here.
  • Fee Simple Donations – FLC can accept donations of land. The landowner grants all property rights, title and interest to the land trust. The land trust owns and manages the land. Prior to this type of donation, FLC meets with the landowner to discuss their wishes for the property and the land transfer moves through an approval process with the organization’s Board of Directors. Read about additional options here. 
  • FLC provides assistance for land conservation efforts that involve public projects. Foothills works with public and private groups to permanently protect lands for public access. Recent projects include Jarvis Park, located in Maryville, TN, and the Stella Moore Collier Preserve, located in the Halls area of Knoxville, TN. FLC has also worked to permanently protect and transfer to the State of Tennessee a 1,000-acre tract in Roane County, TN, that is managed as part of the 11,000+ acre Mount Roosevelt Wildlife Management Area. For more information, check out FLC’s Public Projects page on our interactive map.

Please contact the Foothills office for more information or with any questions at 865-681-8326 or info@foothillsland.org.

Sincerely,

 

Bill Clabough, FLC Executive Director

 

Elise Eustace, Viewshed Coordinator


About Foothills Land Conservancy: For 38 years FLC has assisted in the preservation of over 140,000 acres of cherished mountains, working farms, and rural landscapes across 47 Tennessee counties and 6 surrounding states. FLC’s mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance the lands and environments of the Southern Appalachian region and to promote the character of the land for the benefit of the general public, now and in the future.