Spend a few minutes at the Low Water Bridge in Montgomery County and you’ll likely feel as though you just stepped back in time. The clear flowing Uwharrie River waters run inches beneath the bridge; towering oaks and sycamores line the banks, while nearby otters dive in search of their favorite foods. Excluding the bridge, the scene probably looks much as it has for hundreds of years. Yet, the most impressive aspect is the complete peacefulness experienced while taking in the forested scenery and listening to the waters rush by below. Add in the local history and appreciation of the site and you have just the type of spot that The LandTrust prides itself on protecting – the places you love!

The LandTrust is very pleased to announce the acquisition of the Bingham Lands, a 1,160 acre tract of forestland surrounding the Low Water Bridge. This marks the largest single acquisition in our eleven year history. It also greatly advances our work in the Uwharrie Mountain region and along the Uwharrie River itself. “This project is a great achievement for our organization,” says Kevin Redding, Associate Director. “It protects a tremendous forest, maintains a recreational resource for the public and will hopefully springboard additional conservation in the Uwharries.”

In the summer of 2005, a Uwharrie River Corridor Plan was completed by then Duke University Stanback Intern and now full-time Uwharrie Conservation Specialist Crystal Cockman. The plan looked at river frontage, buffer quality, rare plants and animals and other factors to identify those properties with the highest conservation values. In the end the Bingham Lands were, by far, the highest conservation priority along the Uwharrie River. The site contains nearly five miles of river frontage, another 32,000 feet of crystal clear tributaries, mature hardwood buffers and a significant occurrence of white pines, all while linking together four isolated parcels of the Uwharrie National Forest. Crystal returned to The LandTrust staff just in time to see the culmination of efforts to protect this spectacular property. “Although we believed the property as special to begin with, to see it rank as the single most important piece of land in this corridor and then to return to see it protected is truly an amazing and unique experience,” she states.

The Bingham Lands provide the backdrop for some of Piedmont North Carolina’s best paddling stretches. A popular local launching site, Low Water Bridge has provided access for several generations of canoers, kayakers and fishermen. The stretch of Uwharrie River downstream winds through a combination of Uwharrie National Forest and private lands, yet not one house can be seen from the water. Cross under Highway 109 and continue downstream and you’ll join the Yadkin River just across from Morrow Mountain State Park, where the two converge to form the Pee Dee River.

Funding for this project was made possible though the N.C. Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) and contributions from Bill and Nancy Stanback, and Fred and Alice Stanback. The LandTrust would also like to thank the prior owners of their property: Max and Ruth Bingham, Thad and Mary Bingham, and Jack and Peggy Bingham Sparks. As Executive Director Jason Walser affirms, “this tremendous conservation achievement could not have happened without the patience, commitment and generosity of all these individuals.”

The southernmost portion of the Bingham Lands, an additional 126 acres, was purchased this spring. With the addition of this tract, this now brings the total acreage of this LandTrust owned property to1,288 acres. This property is bordered to the north by another parcel of Bingham Lands, and to the south is an Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) easement on another 18 acres of riparian buffer on the Uwharrie River.

This new addition is listed as a Significant Natural Heritage site in the Montgomery County Natural Heritage Inventory as a result of the high quality hardwood forest buffer it provides for the Uwharrie River. The Uwharrie River is classified as Nationally Significant Aquatic Habitat. Two other streams, Horsepen Creek and another tributary, also join the Uwharrie in the northern section of this property.

In addition to being a huge contiguous block of habitat for large-range wildlife, the Bingham Lands also hosts a native stand of white pines, miles of river frontage, and are home to a large variety of flora and fauna, including numerous rare and endangered mussels. With the addition of this beautiful tract, the Bingham Lands are truly a unique conservation success story. In this area, for recreation, wildlife habitat, and natural areas protection, there simply is not another property like it.

This spring Jim Tucker visited is family property in Montgomery County with camera in hand. “It may be silly, but this could be the last time we ever see this house, so I wanted to video tape it and have something to remember it by,” Tucker said to LandTrust staff who met him at the property that day.

The 185-acre property, with its landscape of rolling hills, contains the headwaters of McClean’s Creek and several other tributaries, with some patches of native hardwoods and white pines. It also connects two substantial tracts of United States Forest Service property stretching from Badin Lake all the way to the protected Bingham Lands on the Uwharrie River, purchased by The LandTrust last fall.

But Tucker’s affection for the property was a personal one. The property contains a family home built in the early 1800s that has been the site of Tucker family reunions for decades. Through a series of events, the ownership of the property passed out of the family. The current owner, having no connection to the land, was planning to sell within a couple months.

“Although we did not have money in hand to purchase this property, we knew we would regret it if we let this opportunity pass us by. For both wildlife and recreation, this property is a critical link to other parcels we have already invested in nearby,” notes Executive Director Jason Walser. “Thanks to the patience of Craig Bouie (an attorney representing the estate of the landowner) and some creative financing, we were able to at least temporarily preserve this opportunity for a hopeful National Forest expansion.”

“Although we can’t save every family farm or historical home site, the location and landscape of this site made it a project we just couldn’t pass up. And providing Jim and his family with the ability to continue visiting this homeplace creates a truly unique conservation success story,” says Uwharrie Conservation Specialist Crystal Cockman. “Jim Tucker and his family can now rest easy knowing their family home is protected. The rest of us can also rest easy knowing that this crucial link for the Uwharrie National Forest trail system will still be around to provide recreational enjoyment.”

The LandTrust’s mission has always been to protect our “special natural areas, family farms and rural landscapes” in our ten-county region. And we hope that, along with the tangible benefits of land conservation, we can provide something less readily quantifiable but possibly even more personal and fulfilling. Sometimes this is manifested as a spiritual connection with the natural world, or a simple place of mental respite away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world, or even a nostalgic connection to the past. For Jim Tucker, the LandTrust was a symbol of hope.