The mission of Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) is "to protect valuable natural resources for all generations."

HCLT conserves forests, wetlands, and vistas that are home to the greatest number of rare and endemic plants and animals in the Southern Appalachians. The Highlands-Cashiers plateau sits at the headwaters of six different watersheds so conserving land here protects drinking water throughout the southeast. These are just some of the reasons our mountains are special and why it is so important that we protect them.

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust

The habitat shown is a freshwater pond with Golden Bamboo, (Phyllostachys aurea), an invasive species surrounding it. Little is known when this impoundment was made but it is now home to local salamander populations. Observing the water levels, buffer species, and wildlife are important when looking at the time-lapse.

Dixon Woods Pond

The McKinney Meadow is a 2.11-acre “mountain meadow” that marks the entrance to an historic tree-canopied corridor that is home to a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places in Cashiers. 

The property itself has a rich history. In the mid-1800s the McKinney family owned a popular boarding house there. Mrs. McKinney was known for her good cooking and mountain hospitality and the spring on the property was a popular stopping place for travelers. This property embodied the spirit of southern hospitality.

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust

About Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust

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