Hawkins Cove

Originally conserved in 2006, the Fesmires’ Hawkins Cove property encompasses mature hardwood forests, limestone streambeds, steep slopes, and habitat supporting dozens of rare species. The tract lies within a cluster of protected lands—including Head of the Crow State Park, Carter State Natural Area, Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Area, and several private conservation easements—forming an increasingly connected network of wildlands across the plateau. The Fesmire property also hosts approximately one mile of the historic Mountain Goat Railroad bed, the future route of the Mountain Goat Trail.

In late 2025, the Fesmires worked with TennGreen to amend and restate their original conservation easement in a way that both honored their long-term conservation intent and provided a carefully structured public benefit. While the original easement did not allow subdivision, the amended version permits a single, limited division solely for public trail purposes. In exchange, and to ensure a clear net gain for conservation, the Fesmires added 18 acres of ecologically significant forest to the permanently protected property—bringing the total to 227 acres. These additional acres include high-quality deciduous and mixed forest, stream corridors, and limestone-rich slopes that contribute meaningfully to the site’s conservation value.

The subdivided portion, located along the abandoned rail bed, was sold to the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, a nonprofit working to create a continuous, accessible trail connecting communities from Cowan to Palmer. This segment is one of the final links needed to complete the trail—a project decades in the making. And importantly, even once transferred, the trail corridor will remain under TennGreen’s conservation easement, ensuring that the land’s natural character, water resources, and wildlife habitat are protected in perpetuity.

Conservation science strongly supports this approach. The amended easement expands protection within an area identified as having High and Very High priority habitat for terrestrial, aquatic, and karst species by the Tennessee State Wildlife Action Plan. The property provides habitat for more than 140 rare species recorded in Franklin County, including the green salamander, Cumberland rosinweed, and the federally endangered pale lilliput mussel. These steep forests and clean headwater streams also fall within TennGreen’s Strategic Land Conservation Plan (Aquatic Focal Area) and the Southeast Conservation Blueprint, both of which emphasize maintaining connectivity across large forested landscapes.

Partnerships like this—pairing ecological protection with public access—reflect TennGreen’s belief that conservation is most powerful when it serves both people and nature. With this amended easement, the South Cumberland Plateau gains stronger safeguards, the Mountain Goat Trail moves one step closer to completion, and Tennesseans gain another place to experience the quiet beauty of the plateau.