6 Properties The Land Trust Protected in 2024
Our 25th anniversary was a remarkable year, made possible by our dedicated community of supporters and landowners. At the heart of this milestone was our mission: partnering with landowners across Tennessee to conserve land that is both vulnerable and vital. To celebrate these efforts, we’re sharing six incredible properties that The Land Trust helped protect in 2024 — inviting you to be part of their inspiring conservation stories.
1. 242 Acres Protected in Grundy County
The Land Trust for Tennessee worked with a landowner in Grundy County, 35 miles from Chattanooga, to protect his 242 acres of forestland.
“I had a front row seat for that process of healing this land after it had been clearcut for years before I acquired it. It has become a beautiful/thriving forest, that provides habitat for numerous species of wildlife. The transformation became so complete, that the land became known as “Another World”. I was fortunate enough to build a house and live here in 2017,” said landowner Dave.
“I have come to think of myself as a steward of “Another World”, rather than strictly the owner. The most visible ambassadors between “Another World’s” steward and the natural environment are the Summer and Scarlet Tanagers that fly in from Mexico, Central America and South America every year. Protecting them was a key reason for creating this conservation easement.”
2. 211 Acres Protected in Overton County
The Land Trust for Tennessee worked with landowners Joe Anderson and Binney Stumpf in Overton County on the Cumberland Plateau to protect their 211 acres of forestland.
The property is situated on a geographical feature called Hog Wallow Ridge, a distinct ridge in Overton County near Highland Mountain that follows along and above Puncheon Camp Creek.
The property contains a small cabin with two rooms and no modern facilities, that was inhabited by a well-known hermit named Claude Ramsey. Information on Claude Ramsey and the Ramsey family can be found with the Overton County Historian. A video on Claude Ramsey was produced by WCTE, Upper Cumberland Public Television, in a series called Where Stories Live in 2023.
“When I first walked over the hermit’s piece of this property in 1982, I knew it was special,” said Joe. “Binney and I began building in 1987 and moved into a very unfinished cabin in August 1988. In working with Jackson Lundy of LTTN to hammer out an easement, we gained an even deeper appreciation of just how special this property
is.”
3. 192 Acres Protected in Sumner County
The Bell sisters worked with The Land Trust for Tennessee to protect 192 acres of pasture, hayfields, and forested hillsides in eastern Sumner County! The twin sisters and were born and raised on this property. In retirement, when they became the owners of the property, they rebuilt the family home where they are living out their retirement together.
The property has over 1,500 feet of road frontage, and views of the property from this road are of forested hilltops and open agricultural fields. The agricultural fields are currently used for hay production and cattle pasture by a leasing farmer.
4. 81 Acres Protected in Monroe County
After reading an inspiring conservation success story online from The Land Trust for Tennessee, Nancy and Al Davila decided to work with the organization on a conservation easement to protect their property in Monroe County. The agreement permanently protects their 81-acres of steep forest land southwest of Knoxville and east of Chattanooga, two of Tennessee’s largest cities.
“From the first time we stepped onto this land over 32 years ago, we were smitten,” said Nancy Davila in a statement. “A peaceful, beautiful valley with a perennial creek flowing past a cozy, unpretentious cabin…Nestled into a vast expanse of pristine mountain forest lands, replete with an amazing array of wildlife. There’s a small barn, chicken coop, and workshop for our farmette and critters…homeplace, a refuge, a sanctuary, a sense of place.”
The Land Trust for Tennessee’s role going forward is to ensure that the conservation easement is permanently upheld no matter who owns the land in the future, which is key to achieving the Davilas’ conservation goals.
Davila added, “We can’t take it with us, but we can protect it. It feels so right to do this. The Land Trust for Tennessee is our instrument to accomplish this protection forever.”
5. 60 Acres Protected in Marshall County
Having protected over 240 acres of land in Marshall County since 2009 with The Land Trust for Tennessee, Matt and Allison Mulliniks conserved another 60 acres of pasture and forestland in the county.
“I just always knew I wanted to give the land a voice,” said Matt Mulliniks about his family’s decision to protect their property. “It doesn’t have to be the loudest voice, or the only voice, but someone’s got to give the land a voice when we’re talking about the future.”
The Mulliniks property is located in a rural and agricultural part of Middle Tennessee. However, with increasing development pressures leading to smaller parcel sizes, conserving this land has become more urgent. The property features a mix of steep forestland and pasture, where Mr. Mulliniks grazes cattle, and has more than 2,300 feet of road frontage, offering scenic views that benefit the surrounding community.
“I have to pinch myself sometimes because I’m so honored to be a steward of this land,” Mr. Mulliniks said. “That’s how I think of us—as stewards.”
Mulliniks added, “I’ve been working with The Land Trust for Tennessee for many years now, and it’s been a great experience. They’re professional, they know what they’re doing, and they’ve helped me achieve my vision for this land, which is to protect it forever.”
6. 36 Acres in Anderson County
After protecting 56 acres of historic farmland in 2010 with The Land Trust for Tennessee, sisters Susan and Marianne Fowler recently conserved another 36 adjacent acres. The agreement permanently protects their land, which is just 62 miles south of downtown Nashville.
“My father was born in the house on this land and grew up there,” said Susan Fowler. “It has been in the Fowler family since 1900. After my uncle, who lived in the historic home that’s on the property, passed away, his wife and my sister Marianne became very concerned about the pace of people buying up land out here for development.”
The newly protected property is in the north central portion of Anderson County, which is in the northeast part of Tennessee, and is nestled in the Dutch Valley on the eastern valley floor of the Walden Ridge land feature. This part of Tennessee is characterized by the North Cumberland Mountains, Norris Lake, and the Clinch River.
“My Aunt wanted to protect the integrity of the land,” Fowler explained. “We worked on doing the initial easement when she was still alive. We promised her that we would do an easement on this property as well so that we could have as much of the farm protected as we could. This is a beautiful valley and some of it needs to be maintained the way it was to begin with.”