DESCRIPTION OF KLINE PROPERTY FOR SALE ON ROAD, CAPON BRIDGE, WV

This is a summary of the attributes of the Property as laid out in a perpetually binding Cacapon & Lost Rivers Land Trust Conservation Easement, advised by forest biologist Rodney Bartgis

The Property contains 124.34 acres in the Capon District of Hampshire County, West . Five-and-a-half acres of that total have been set aside as a potential homestead site to be designed and built by the new buyer for residential country living and a small agricultural operation, if desired. The remaining Property is home to a forest of approximately 120 acres with a mix of hardwood species, including, but not limited to white, scarlet, black and northern red oak, pitch and white pines, shagbark hickory, black walnut, black gum, red maple, yellow poplar, and a young stand of paw paw trees. No timber has been cut on this Property since 1950.

The land is watered by Dillon’s Run, a free-flowing stream capable of supporting trout, and a swamp white oak-black gum swamp forest, a wetland type considered rare and of high conservation significance by the Division of Natural Resources. Protecting core forest habitat and stream water enables the survival—in perpetuity—of brook trout, wood turtle, and other watery creatures.

Dillons Run in the early Spring of 2019, a B2 Trout Stream ​

Woodland flora, and terrestrial mammals flourish here, such as bear, white-tailed deer, foxes, coyotes, grey squirrels, fox squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, minks, bobcats and fishers. Bird species include wild turkey, ​ owls, hawks, bald and golden eagles, crows, blue jays, woodpeckers and numerous types of migratory and non-migratory songbirds, various Species of Greatest Conservation Need, specifically Kentucky warbler, ​ ​ ​ worm-eating warbler, wood thrush, Louisiana waterthrush, cerulean warbler, also a variety of reptiles including snapping turtles and painted turtles.

This perpetually protected land, roughly 1200 to 1400 feet in elevation, with its diverse family of species is located along both sides of Dillon’s Run for approximately 2,300 feet. Dillon’s Run is a meandering, limestone, spring-fed, cool-water stream. Protection of the Property and stream advances West Virginia’s implementation of its anti degradation policy pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act by protecting a segment of Dillon’s Run, designated by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection as a B2 Trout Stream. Additionally, the watershed is federally recognized as a strong-hold of native brook trout populations in eastern West Virginia. Trout Unlimited’s Potomac Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative has identified Dillon’s Run and ​ ​ this Property as integral to trout conservation efforts. The stream flows into the Cacapon River, an American Heritage River, at Capon Bridge, then the near Berkeley Springs, finally delivering its notably clean waters into the .

The Conservation Easement with the Cacapon & Lost Rivers Land Trust has resulted in the preservation of a “relatively natural habitat.” Perpetual Protection of the Property advances the land use policies set forth in the Hampshire County Comprehensive Plan to “retain the rural character of the county by preserving natural, scenic, and open space resources.” The Property’s open space character is consistent with, adjoins, and is embedded in a larger landscape in excess of 4700 acres of contiguous and connected lands already protected by conservation easements.

Mapping of eastern and central North America by The Nature Conservancy has identified that the Property has “Above Average” qualities for climate change resiliency. It is part of a “Priority Resilient and Connected Landscape” because of these characteristics (including landscape complexity and integrity), confirmed biodiversity significance, and high value as a corridor for species movement. This land is its own wildlife habitat, with small agriculture and open space, to assure the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater for recreational use, wildlife habitats, fire protection, and water supply.

The Property can be found seven miles south on State Route 50/25, a left turn off U.S. Rt. 50 onto Dillon’s Run Road just two miles west of Capon Bridge, WV. Look for an aging white church and cemetery on the left in a curve of the road. Park by the church and refer to the attached map.

For further information contact Michael or Carrie Kline at [304] 636-5444. Email: [email protected] ​

MORE ON HOMESTEAD AREA AND LIVING ON THE PLACE

The five and a half acres set apart for homesteading, accessible by paved road and surrounded by the remaining 120 acres of protected forest, could be a delightful setting for a one-family country home with nice shade trees and a sizable vegetable/flower garden at the edge of a sunny meadow. The meadow might be fenced as a small pasture field for horses, a couple of milk cows or goats, or an organic truck farm, or some of both. Small agriculturalist Ralph Borsodi writing of such sustainable small homesteads in the 1930s, surmised that three to five acres was plenty of land on which to support a family farm. The surrounding forested ridges and wetlands accessible by walking trails, offer incredible opportunities for forest farming of everything from ginseng and goldenseal to mushrooms and paw-paws, as well as nature study and outdoor recreation, including horseback riding, hiking, hunting and fishing. Another half acre of the property designated by a scorched chimney has been set aside for a small orchard or vineyard and a garden site with rich black soil.

With a meandering trout stream flowing through the center of the forest and abundant wild life, the place offers Thoreauvin peace of mind and a sense of being in one's own world, a setting for rest and reflection, to get completely away from the chaos of eastern cities, and be off the grid. The property's location at the upper end of Parks Hollow is surrounded by family farms with good neighbors, gentle ridges, and woodland landscapes characteristic of the Allegheny foothills. Children in the valley are a short bus ride from elementary and middle schools in Capon Bridge. So near, yet so far.

For all of its remoteness this place is accessible to markets and services. It is just ten miles southwest of Capon Bridge with its small shops, restaurants, a rural arts and cultural center, service stations, and a public library. Capon Bridge is 20 miles (four lane) west of Winchester, VA, a thriving small city with a university and major medical center, as well as an historic downtown and an extensive shopping mall. It is two and a half hours more or less from Washington, DC, which, with all of its amazing cultural and culinary opportunities, offers multiple markets for organic and forest foods and medicinal plants.

This protected property, priced reasonably for immediate sale, is ideal for a family retreat and back-to-the land adventures and offers possibilities for a permanent homestead in a heavenly spot.