GREENBRIER COUNTY W.Va. (Hinton News) – Up a hollow in Greenbrier County sits the 200-acre Wooling family farm also known as Thistle. This site is a preserved representation of what homesteads may have looked like in Greenbrier County 100 years ago, with chestnut log structures, pastures on the mountainsides, and quiet, non-motorized, organic livestock husbandry and gardening.
Autumn Wooling and her late husband, Bob, were welcomed into the supportive community of Dry Run Hollow 60 years ago when they first learned how to operate a subsistence farm. With a long-held intent to preserve the property for future farming families, the Woolings recently placed a conservation easement on the property held by the West Virginia Land Trust (WVLT).
“Bob and I always wished to see the land in a trust so that people could go on taking good care of our beautiful area. I always hoped the historical nature would be appreciated. I envision small children playing in Dry Run like ours did and everyone working in the garden, or tending a milk cow, or simply enjoying the wildlife, woods, and rocks (there are lots of nice rocks!). I appreciate WVLT for making this possible,” said Autumn Wooling, property owner.
The property contains significant values for the protection of environmental systems and preservation of open space, specifically native forests, freshwater streams and springs, wildlife habitat, scenic beauty, historical structures, and agricultural resources and soils of a family farm.
A conservation easement is a voluntary contract negotiated between a landowner and WVLT, in which the owner places permanent restrictions on future uses of their property to protect scenic, agricultural, wildlife, forest, or other significant conservation values. The restrictions usually include limiting subdivision, commercial or industrial development, deforestation, conversion of farmland, and
destruction of streams, wetlands, caves, and other special natural areas. Conservation easements are unique to each property, meaning they address site-specific conservation values and are tailored to meet the individual goals of landowners.
WVLT’s work in the Greenbrier Valley specifically focuses on the public benefits of maintaining farms and forests in a natural condition to support public drinking water supplies and providing outdoor enthusiasts with recreation access, wildlife observation opportunities, and scenic beauty.
The West Virginia Land Trust is a nationally accredited statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving West Virginia’s natural lands, scenic areas, water quality, and recreational access forever. Since 1994, the organization has permanently protected more than 20,000 acres of land statewide. To learn more, visit www.wvlandtrust.org.
