Joel and Kathy Zachry each hold a deep love for farming and the outdoors, cultivated as they grew up and something they bonded over as they dated. Joel describes their relationship as “a love story founded in adventure.” In 1999, they formed their own outdoor travel company and continue to lead backcountry trips, serve as hike leaders at Snowbird Mountain Lodge in Robbinsville, NC, and are among an elite team of Experts in Residence at The Swag resort lodge in Waynesville, NC.

While the land of Southern Appalachia is particularly special to them, their own property in Roane County, TN is sacred.

Joel’s father was an electrician, often taking jobs out of state for long periods of time. His parents worked hard to purchase their property in the 1950s, and it’s the land he grew up on. As Joel reflects on his parents, he realizes how much they loved it. “My dad and I would take walks around the property together. Even back then I realized how important being home was to my dad and how much he missed it when he was away.”

Today, the property is in the flight path of sandhill cranes, which Kathy describes as “So cool! You hear them before you see them.” They’ve also seen dozens of deer, which have made a remarkable comeback after being pushed out due to development in the area. Turkeys and geese visit, as well as red and gray foxes, coyotes, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks and raccoons. They’ve also seen box turtles, and by counting their scutes (shell scales), it’s safe to say that some of them have lived on the property longer than the 77 years Joel has been alive.

Over decades, Kathy and Joel have experienced the nuances of changing seasons together, learned about the biodiversity and wildlife their property hosts, and made conservation an enormous priority in their lives. The Zachrys want to ensure this legacy carries forward, and their treasured land remains undeveloped. They felt putting a conservation easement on their property with FLC was the best thing they could do to ensure that.