School partners with land trust for wetland conservation
Though the wetland bordering U.S. 441 on the North Carolina-Georgia line isn’t that noteworthy on first glance, it’s an ecological treasure trove that Land Trust for the Little Tennessee is excited to have purchased.
“Conserving the wetland buffers the headwaters of the Little T, which significantly helps the water quality downstream,” explained LTLT Land Protection Manager John Culclasure. “Many thanks to Rabun-Gap Nacoochee School for partnering with LTLT to conserve this unique ecological feature.”
LTLT had purchased the 11.7-acre property from the school with funding from the Georgia Land Conservation Center.
The land is a mountain bog, a type of habitat that has decreased by an estimated 90 percent over the past 200 years. The largest functioning wetland complex in the Georgia headwaters of the Little Tennessee, the property is an important amphibian breeding and haven for birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. So far, 272 plant species have been inventoried there.
