Bracket Bluff Easement

The 61-acre parcel that is now the Brackett Bluff Nature Preserve is located on Shearer Road and extends to the Rocky River on the east. It was targeted for preservation from the earliest days of DLC’s formation in 2001 and was acquired by the county parks system in October, 2002, at the urging of DLC, the town of Davidson, and Catawba Lands Conservancy.

The county allowed CLC to hold a conservation easement on the property with the understanding that the responsibility for the easement would be transferred to DLC. The property is a regionally significant natural heritage site, featuring a mature hardwood forest on a steep bluff that arcs along the river bottom. There are also diverse plant species that are uncommon in the Charlotte area.

Davidson resident Mary Brackett, one of the landowners, stated in 2002, “I have always thought this was a rather special place.  It’s just beautiful. You would expect to see this in the mountains, but not right here in the Piedmont.”

Responsibility for monitoring the property and advising on its stewardship is expected to be transferred to DLC as soon as CLC’s lawyers complete the drafting of the legal documents. CLC will generously contribute $5,000 to an endowment fund for stewardship and legal defense of the property. The Elmer Brown Endowment Fund at Davidson College, which seeks to assure area sites for student research in field biology, has also granted $2,500 to DLC for initial monitoring expenses.

At present, the property is not accessible to the public and is awaiting funding for development as shown on the map below. In the meantime, it is managed by the county parks Natural Resources Division.

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