Landowner Stories - Kelly Coffey

Kelly Coffey donated a conservation easement below Raven Rock Overlook at milepost 289.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The National Park Service owns the land adjacent to the overlook.

The Raven Rocks Overlook was once owned by Kelly’s great, great grandfather, Jessi Hodges. Historical deeds show that Jessi obtained the property in the 1870s from the state of North Carolina. It is suspected that the state confiscated the land from British supporters during the revolutionary war and then resold it to settlers like Jessi. Nobody actually lived on the property. The Overlook was part of a larger 150 acre parcel that included a Holler. Over the years the property was subdivided between family members and the Overlook went to Kelly’s grandmother. Kelly’s great grandfather built and lived in a house within a few hundred feet of the Overlook at the entrance to the Holler and his great aunt still lives there today. According to Kelly’s grandparents, the overlook was known as the Raven Rock Overlook long before the National Park Service officially named it.

Kelly bought the Overlook from his grandmother in 1986. The land had sentimental as well as practical value to him. His purchase of the property helped his grandparents when they became elderly and needed another source of income. Kelly also had a great personal attachment to the land. He grew just a mile or so up the road and spent a lot a time with his grandfather on the land as he grew up. His grandfather was primarily a farmer who raised cabbage and cattle on the property. The cabbage was sold to a kraut factory in Boone, which encouraged local farmers to raise cabbage.

Kelly has been following similar farming practices as his grandfather on the land since he purchased it. He still keeps cattle on the land and has raised cabbage and potatoes and pumpkins, selling the produce for extra income. He has also been establishing an apple orchard on the property during the past ten years.

Kelly put a conservation easement on the property because he did not want to see the property degraded. “It was just the right thing to do,” said Kelly. The financial benefits were not a factor. As someone in his mid 30’s, Kelly is not at an age or in a financial situation where the tax benefits make a large impact on his income. Kelly became involved with the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust before putting the easement on his own property. His investment in the land trust grew out of a concern for preserving the some of the reckless development that has been encroaching upon the area in recent years. He found the land trust and its use of conservation easements to be an effective way to address development. He sees his conservation easement as an example for others in the area and a way that he can “walk the talk.”

Kelly is currently in the process of building a barn with a residential space on his property. The barn is designed to fit into the natural landscape of the property. He will be moving into the barn in the near future. He hopes his property will continue to be used as it has always been used –a small farm. Kelly does not see himself as a preserver of “Forever Wild” property. Rather, he sees himself as a good steward of the land, using environmentally sensitive farming practices where they are practical and make good, common sense. He believes good stewardship of the land involves sustaining the health and productivity of the land.

Conservation Significance

The property is located below a major overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Raven Rock Overlook at milepost 289.5. Alterations to the property will affect the scenic quality of the overlook. The headwaters to the middle fork of the New River begin on the property. The New River is designated a National and State Scenic River. The property preserves the agricultural character of the region as well as important open, rural space. Most the of the property is pastureland, with the exception of a small orchard, a small section of cropland and a small forested portion. The property provides significant habitat for native flora and fauna.