Land Trust Alliance

Bald Eagle Bash to Support the Environment

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-03T20:10:00Z

June 3, 2010 | baldwincountynow.com | Fairhope, AL

Tourists Keep Enjoying the View

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-02T13:40:00Z

NC- A brilliant fall day and the bright hues of peak leaf season provided a fitting backdrop as the Conservation Trust for North Carolina announced a major and long-sought conservation success – the protection of 1,488 acres of prime Blue Ridge Parkway landscapes.

Rare Conservation Gem

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-01T18:35:00Z

NC- Belying its humble name, Weed Patch Mountain north of Lake Lure in Rutherford County North Carolina, is a place of uncommon beauty and natural diversity.

Resting Acres Angus Farm Protected

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-01T18:15:00Z

KY- The lifelong dream of Bart McFarland was to be a cattle farm owner. As a child, he showed cattle and his cattle judging classes allowed him to participate in selecting sires.

Tennesseans partner to expand Cumberland Trail State Park

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-01T18:05:00Z

TN- In what beautiful park can you fish, hike, whitewater paddle, swim or rock climb? The answer is the Cumberland Trail State Park, and the Land Trust for Tennessee recently helped to add 3,200 acres and 10 linear miles to this important area.

Family and Fund Conserve 132-Acre Buffalo Ridge Farm

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-01T17:50:00Z

NC- A family’s love of farming and funding from the Triangle Land Conservancy’s Our Water, Our Land campaign and Johnston County collaboratively conserved the Moore’s 132-acre family farm — Buffalo Ridge Farm.

Leaving a Family Legacy

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-01T17:30:00Z

GA - Brothers Leland and Jeffrey Reynolds have a lot in common. Besides their shared heritage, the two oversee their second-generation family business, enjoy hobbies including hunting and fishing, and have a love of flying, and volunteer to demonstrate a deep, long standing commitment to their community’s shared future.

East Tennesseans Donate 25,000 Acres in 25 Years

Kimberly Seese — 2010-06-01T17:00:00Z

TN- The beauty, heritage, and people of East Tennessee are truly one of a kind. Stretching through the band of counties that extends from the Cumberland Plateau to the Appalachian Mountains - this diverse landscape has been enjoyed by generations of families.

Bald Eagle Habitat Protected Along James River

Kimberly Seese — 2010-05-24T12:55:00Z

May 24, 2010 | conservationfund.org | Prince George County, VA

A Bold New Chapter for Land Conservation in Western North Carolina

Kimberly Seese — 2010-05-10T13:15:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Walter Clark, Executive Director
(336) 846-2758 | walter@blueridgeconservancy.org

Zachary Lesch-Huie, Communications Director
(828) 264-2511 | zachary@blueridgeconservancy.org

A Bold New Chapter for Land Conservation in Western North Carolina

BOONE, NC -- This week, Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust (BRRLT) based in West Jefferson and High Country Conservancy (HCC) based in Boone, announced that they are joining forces creating a new organization called the new Blue Ridge Conservancy.

According to John Turner, President of the newly combined organization, “The merger of these two highly respected groups has created an enhanced organization with the capacity to advance land preservation in our northwestern mountains to an unprecedented level. By joining forces, we have both strengthened our staff and board and also maximized our efficiency by eliminating previously duplicated administrative costs, conservancy functions, and overlapping service areas.”

Walter Clark, Blue Ridge Conservancy’s Executive Director, remarked that “Today’s challenging economic times demand that conservation organizations carefully plan how to best utilize public and private dollars to fulfill their missions. The Board and Staff of Blue Ridge Conservancy feel that we have taken a huge positive step forward in fulfilling our stewardship responsibilities to the lands we serve and the donors who make our work possible.”

Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust was formed in 1997 out of a recognized need to protect the rapidly vanishing rural landscape and farmland in North Carolina’s seven northwestern counties – Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. During its fourteen years, the organization operated under the guiding principle that the “land is the stage on which we build our lives, where children form an identity as they grow up, and a large part of what we call home. The landscape is a constant reminder of personal and community occurrences. When the land is developed beyond recognition, we lose much more than a visual amenity; we lose part of our community and ourselves.”

High Country Conservancy had its beginning in 1995 with the formation of the Watauga Land Trust. The group was formed by a group of students at Appalachian State University concerned with protecting Howard’s Knob from encroaching development. This effort raised local awareness about the unprecedented pace of development not just around Boone, but across North Carolina’s northwestern mountains. These concerns galvanized the local community and in 1997 the Watauga Land Trust changed its name to High Country Conservancy and expanded its jurisdiction to include Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. The organization’s mission was “to protect the natural resources of Appalachia by conserving land with significant ecological, cultural, recreational, or scenic value in the North Carolina High Country.”

The merger of High Country Conservancy and Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust creates a strong organization with the collective history of protecting over 15,000 acres in northwestern North Carolina. The new Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) will partner with private landowners to voluntarily protect farmland and lands with scenic and ecological value using conservation easements. Lands protected by conservation easement remain in private ownership, can be sold, passed to heirs and remain on county tax rolls.

BRC will also continue to work closely with state, federal and private partners to expand the public’s access to land with significant recreational, cultural and ecological value. Through these partnerships, BRC has helped protect critically important area including:

Bear Paw State Natural Area
Beech Creek Bog State Natural Area
Bullhead Mountain State Natural Area
Pond Mountain Game Lands
Elk Knob State Park
Three Top Mountain Game Lands
Tater Hill Bog Preserve
Blue Ridge Parkway lands

Walter Clark noted, “The new Board and Staff are proud of our past accomplishments and look forward to continuing the great work started over fourteen years ago by HCC and BRRLT.”

Blue Ridge Conservancy will serve Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and can be contacted at PO Box 568, Boone, NC 28607, 828.264.2511 in Boone or 336.846.2758 in West Jefferson, or at info@blueridgeconservancy.org or www.blueridgeconservancy.org.

Blue Ridge Conservancy’s mission it to protect the natural and cultural resources of Appalachia by conserving land with significant agricultural, ecological, cultural, recreational or scenic value in the North Carolina High Country. To date, HRC has protected over 15,000 acres of land in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties. To learn more, please visit blueridgeconservancy.org.

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Space: The Final Frontier

Kimberly Seese — 2010-04-22T19:55:00Z

April 22, 2010 | News & Record | Greensboro, NC

A Good Deal for the Everglades

Kimberly Seese — 2010-03-16T12:40:00Z

March 16, 2010 | NYTimes.com | FL

Conservation Easement Preserving Rural Vista

Kimberly Seese — 2010-03-10T20:40:00Z

March 10, 2010 | Marshall County Tribune | Lewisburg, TN

Lowcountry Open Land Trust and Lowcountry Hunt Sharing More Than Just a Name

Kimberly Seese — 2010-02-19T20:55:00Z

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Margaret P. Blackmer
Lowcountry Open Land Trust
Phone: (843) 577-6510

Nina Burke
Lowcountry Hunt
Phone: (843) 893-2006

Lowcountry Open Land Trust and Lowcountry Hunt Sharing More Than Just a Name

CHARLESTON, SC -- The Lowcountry Open Land Trust and Lowcountry Hunt were presented the 2009 Hunting Habitat Conservation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America in Atlanta, Georgia on January 29, 2010. Accepting the award were Margaret P. Blackmer, President of the Board of Trustees for the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, and Nina Burke, Joint Master of Foxhounds of Lowcountry Hunt.

The purpose of the Hunting Habitat Conservation Award is to recognize those foxhunting clubs, organizations and individuals that have made significant and enduring contributions towards the preservation of rural countryside and its flora and fauna. The award is sponsored by the Masters of Foxhounds Association and The Chronicle of the Horse Magazine. “There is no greater injustice than not to recognize those people and organizations that toil to keep us close to the land and the wild animals that enhance our very existence” said J.W.Y. Martin, MFHA Conservation Chairman.

Founded in 1985, The Lowcountry Open Land Trust is a nonprofit organization which uses voluntary and incentive based means to protect the irreplaceable Lowcountry landscape for current and future generations of South Carolinians. As of the end of 2009, the Land Trust proudly holds protection on over 80,000 acres of land throughout the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Margaret Blackmer stated “We believe that the private, voluntary protection of significant forests and farmlands, wildlife habitats, waterways and open space helps preserve the unique sense of place and quality of life that distinguishes the South Carolina Lowcountry.”

The Lowcountry Hunt was established in 2006, registered in 2007 and recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association in 2008. Part of its Mission Statement is “to encourage an appreciation for rural heritage and native lands, and to promote conservation of the hunt country in the lowcountry of South Carolina.” Members of the Lowcountry Hunt number over 100 and these members span from Charleston, South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia. Together with Nina Burke, Dr. Mark Shambley and Melinda Shambley serve as Joint Masters of Foxhounds.

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Foundation Acquires Additional Acreage

prichardson — 2009-12-29T17:45:00Z

December 29, 2009 | baldwincountynow.com | Fairhope, AL