Changing attitudes Carlson reshaped ideas about conservation

When Carlson set the wheels in motion to create the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee in the late 1990s, there wasnt a single conservation easement along the banks of the Little Tennessee River in Macon County. Today, 34 miles of river frontage are permanently protected, and thousands of acres of farms and forests have been conserved, thanks to his vision.

Carlson was at the forefront of a revolution in conservation circles. He introduced the region to a new paradigm, one where humans could co-exist alongside conservation, where the landscape supported cultural heritage and vice versa.

A lot of land trusts dont mess with the cultural side. But from day one, our mission was to conserve the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the Little Tennessee watershed, Carlson said. Whats fun is that conservation story has fallen into place.

He molded public perception like he did the landscape incrementally yet steadily, subtly not brazenly.

Eventually, a movement was born. It was so measured, many didnt realize a movement was afoot, one that would forever alter how people viewed the landscape, both emotionally and economically.

From the outside, it may all seem like a big coincidence.

LTLT was saving a piece of land here, a piece of land there picking up the scattered chips of an increasingly fragmented landscape, merely answering the door when opportunity knocked.

But eventually, the tracts were no longer lone life rafts, but a cohesive flotilla.

It is very satisfying to see a vision coming together with some consistency, Carlson said. This is one place you can make a stand. There was a defined constituency for the river. It is place-based conservation.

Carlson is quick to deflect any accolades, and instead credits the deep bench of supporters who lent their voice to the cause over the years, and ultimately the landowners who have signed on to the movement.

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Changing attitudes Carlson reshaped ideas about conservation