Camp Tecumseh comprises over 500 acres of land adjacent to the Tecumseh bend of the Tippecanoe River. An extremely successful and well-established camp program had resulted in a waiting list for summer camp of over 600 children each year.

The YMCA of Western North Carolina wanted to explore the feasibility of and develop a master plan for a new rustic summer camp. The approximately 870-acre Watia Creek Farm property, located on a remote mountainside, is the location and namesake for the camp. The character of the Camp Watia facilities was intended to be simple, rustic, and sustainable.

The 110-acre Motherhouse Campus landscape had evolved over the years through plant memorial donations, often without the benefit of a plan, attention to maintenance requirements, or consideration of the surrounding context.