The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) is the oldest land trust in North Carolina and among the first 20 in the United States.
Our History
It all began with Satulah Mountain….
The summit of Satulah Mountain was the first property purchased by the Highlands Improvement Association in 1909. Later this association would eventually evolve into the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.
Another landmark, Sunset Rock, was donated by the Ravenel family in 1914. These 10 acres overlook the town of Highlands to the west and Horse Cove to the east. The view from Sunset Rock has been the most popular vista in Highlands for generations.
The HIA merged with the Highlands Community Club in 1934 to form the Satulah Club. Another merger with the Ravenel Park Association in 1987 resulted in the Highlands Land Trust. Up to this point these organizations had focused on the stewardship of their two holdings, with the formation of this new group there was a greater interest in land protection through purchase and accepting donations.
With the recognition that the Cashiers area was beginning to experience development, the Highlands Land Trust expanded its area of interest to include Jackson County and changed its name to the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.
During the 1960-1980s several tax incentives provided land trusts with a variety of new tools: the charitable deduction and the conservation easement or agreement. The donation of land to a land trust is seen as a one-time charitable tax deduction. The other tool, the conservation easement, has been around since the 1880s and was used to protect parkways near Boston and later was very important in the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1930s. With a modern conservation agreement, the owner of a property maintains ownership but permanently restricts development and future use of land. The development rights are given to a qualified non-profit entity such as a land trust to hold and monitor.
In 1996 the Land Trust accepted its first conservation easement on the six-acre Ralph and Louise Sargent tract. Since then, we have gone on to conserve over 4,000 in over 113 places across southern Macon and Jackson Counties.
HCLT originated in 1883 with the creation of the Highlands Improvement Association (HIA), a group created to “protect, preserve, and promote the natural beauty of Highlands.” They began this effort with trail-building and tree-planting improvement projects. In 1909, the HIA collected $500 and bought 56 acres on Satulah Mountain that was slated to become a hilltop hotel. The Highlands community thought it better to look at a mountain rather than a hotel, a notion that is still in vogue today. The HIA promptly built a stone shelter for the benefit and protection of those who “wanted to spend the night for the purpose of beholding the beauties of the sunset, starlit heavens, and the glories of the sunrise.” The foundation of that structure is still there. The Land Trust has added to that initial purchase and today owns nearly 70 acres on the summit.
Meet the Staff
Lance Hardin, Executive Director
Lance manages the staff and oversees all operations of the Trust. He is responsible for all of our conservation efforts, acquiring new properties and refining details for each project to maximize the conservation benefits and meet the needs of the land donors as well. Lance graduated with honors from East Carolina University with a BS Accounting degree and spent more than two decades as a tax consultant in a "Big 4" advisory firm; in this role he worked with individuals and other entities to develop and implement solutions to complex financial transactions. Lance came to HCLT in 2022 after obtaining an MA in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University, where he was inducted into the Cratis Williams Society. Lance's thesis concerned the economic and cultural forces that helped shape Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the impacts of TVA's Fontana Reservoir, and as part of his program of study he conducted research into the historical and cultural backgrounds of selected HCLT properties. Lance's passion for preserving the cultural heritage of our area is further evidenced by his volunteer involvement with the Highlands Historical Society, for which he serves as archivist. He brings a wealth of non-profit experience, having served on the boards of numerous organizations. In 2021 he and his wife, Gwyn, completed most of the Appalachian Trail, and they share a love of hiking and outdoor recreation. Lance enjoys learning more about the history of WNC and exploring the natural resources of our area.
Contact lance@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Julie Schott, Development Director
Julie joined the team in 2007. She oversees membership development, outreach, events and our education programs. She earned her B.S.in International Business from W.C.U. and her B.Ec. in International Business and Management Studies from the Hogeschool Brabant in the Netherlands. She earned her certification in Non-profit Management from Duke University. Julie has lived from coast to coast but made the Mountains of WNC her home several years ago. Her love of the outdoors was born during family camping trips as a child on the coast of Northern California and later in the Florida Keys. In her spare time, Julie loves to create re-purposed "masterpieces," explore new places and perfect the art of capoeira dance (not really). She is particularly fond of fireflies, campfire and the smell of fresh ground coffee (really).
Contact julie@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Andrew Renfro, Land Conservation Director
Andrew leads our land protection efforts by identifying new properties for conservation through acquisition and/or conservation easements. In this role he works closely with potential land donors to refine the details for each project to meet their objectives while maximize the conservation benefits and protections to the extent allowable. Joining our team in 2022, Andrew grew up in Cashiers attending Summit Charter School and later Highlands School for high school. He then left for the mountains of Boone where he attended Appalachian State University, graduating with a BSBA in Marketing and Risk Management & Insurance. Upon graduation he worked for Lonesome Valley as the properties’ Resident Services and Activities Director and selling real estate for the Cow Rock Development. Andrew’s upbringing, previous work and volunteer experience led him to pursue his passions in environmental stewardship, conservation, public access trail work, and community engagement. In his spare time, he enjoys fly fishing, photography, foraging, exploring, hiking, and hunting.
Contact andrew@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Stephanie Contreras, Stewardship Manager
Stephanie rejoined HCLT in 2023, having previously served as an AmeriCorps member during 2021-2022. Stephanie graduated from Western Carolina University with a B.S. degree in Environmental Science. She also served as an AmeriCorps member in Southwest Virginia, during which she managed a conservation crew focused on trail building and invasive species mitigation. Stephanie has experience with environmental education, GIS field mapping, and brings a significant GIS mapping skill set to HCLT.
Contact stephanie@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Hope Corbin, Education and Outreach Coordinator:
Hope graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL with a BS in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Science, Botany, and Field Biology. She worked with the National Estuarine Research Reserve to establish a pilot study of pollinators servicing tidal freshwater estuaries, then she worked with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as an Oyster Restoration assistant, growing larval oysters to spat-on-shell, then releasing them onto oyster bed sanctuaries in the Bay, and assisting with education and volunteer programs. She then worked for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources doing water quality monitoring and assessment, apart of a team that assessed every river, tributary, and water body in the state. Hope felt a call to the mountains, service, and education, so she traded her waders for hiking boots and joined the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust as an Environmental Educator. She has since taken over the Kids in Nature afterschool programs, runs educational tabling events, and is working to establish more educational and volunteer opportunities and programs for all ages in the Highlands-Cashiers community.
Contact hope@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Jessica Blackburn, Stewardship Technician
Contact jessica@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Lynsi Wavra, Development Associate
Contact lynsi@hcltnc.org or by calling 828.526.1111
Meet the Board of Directors
Ann Huckstep,
President
Bill Mauldin,
Vice President
Karen Patterson,
Treasurer
Martha Wright,
Secretary
Brad Armstrong
Chuck Auster
Sharon Cole
Martha Simkins Davis
Lawrence Dimmitt
Wally Evans
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Rick Hildbold
Chris Hohlstein
Tom Holmes
Russ McLauchlan
Victoria Stephens
Liz StJohn
Bill Stiefel
Jim Tate
Rob Wood