Chegeree Cliffs
a 110-acre preserve in Carter County, KY
Property Donation: $259,000
Stewardship Campaign: $250,000
Scroll down to see details
The Arc’s first preserve in Kentucky!
Chegeree Cliffs lies in the famous karst country of Carter County, sandwiched between the outer Bluegrass region and Appalachian coal country. Carter County boasts 372 caves, the second-highest number of any county in the state.
The property protects a healthy forest and awe-inspiring 250-foot-high limestone cliffs and ridgetops, bordering both sides of Lick Branch Creek.
The cliff-dwelling plants found at Chegeree Cliffs alone make the site worthy of protection. These include purple cliffbrake and black-stemmed spleenwort, an endangered state-listed species in Ohio.
The property was donated to the Arc of Appalachia by John Wesley Grace, who helped us name the preserve. In John’s words, “Chegeree was a Native American, remembered only for a map of the Ohio River area that he drew in 1755. I found an image of it on the Carter County Genealogy website, and I’ve spent many hours poring over it. I feel like I have developed a special connection to him. I sometimes think of the possibility that he might have visited Lick Branch and, like me, was moved by the simple beauty of it.”
Scroll down below the photo gallery for details on the Stewardship Campaign.
All Photos by Elijah Crabtree
Why Endowing Land Stewardship Is So Important for the Future
Each Arc Preserve requires enduring stewardship. To buy a preserve and not maintain it with the proper equipment, attention, and “boots on the ground” would be deeply irresponsible because an ignored preserve is a preserve only in name. No one’s land is everyone’s land.
This campaign is for the first endowment funds collected for Arc preserves in Kentucky. If we can build our Stewardship Funds, there is a lot more Kentucky treasures we are eager to preserve!!
The best and truly only insurance for successfully caring for Arc preserves is to build strong balances in our Stewardship Endowment Funds so that, over time, the fund’s annual income will substantially contribute to the yearly costs of sustainable stewardship. On the average, for every $1.00 invested in land acquisition, another $1.00 is needed in the endowment fund. For our larger preserves, the cost is much higher. We have a realistic chance of achieving sustainability if many of our Arc supporters choose to remember us in their wills and trusts. We also encourage donors to tick off the “restricted donation” option that will direct 50% of the gift to land acquisition and 50% to our primary “Stewardship Forever Endowment Fund.” Or, include a note with your check. See the following articles for deeper information: