TLC President's Message

Land:  They're not making any more of it

August 2007

It’s become a common occurrence in the Triangle:  a longtime family farm or forestland is sold to a real estate developer who submits a development plan to turn trees and fields into condos and strip malls. The neighbors, having grown accustomed to seeing rolling pastures and towering oaks next door, vow to fight the development proposal. They attend zoning hearings to oppose the developer’s plan and everyone becomes defensive. Accusations fly, attacks and counterattacks grow more personal and any chance of finding common ground vanishes.

Let’s face it. The process we follow to determine how we use land is adversarial and divisive because it only offers either-or propositions. What if, instead of competing, we collaborated to establish a combination of complementary land uses? Innovative collaboration is how TLC approaches conservation in our fast-growing communities.

Take the example of real estate developer D. R. Bryan donating nearly 1,000 acres to TLC as part of developing Durham’s Treyburn community. Mr. Bryan and his associates benefited from tax incentives while their donation of important conservation land protected water quality and a place for outdoor recreation.  Bryan Properties also donated 32 acres to Durham Public Schools for the site of a much-needed middle school.

Witness also the collaboration of TLC, Wake County and the Trust for Public Land to conserve the rural heritage of Mark’s Creek watershed. This partnership is bringing matching money from state conservation funds and increasing Wake County’s open space acquisition funds so that we can acquire conservation land before there is none left.

The race for scarce land will grow only fiercer, but innovative collaboration can replace the winner-take-all mentality and result in land use that actually enriches our communities.   

Kevin Brice, President and CEO, Triangle Land Conservancy

TLC President's Message Archive

November 2009   TLC’s Our Water, Our Land Campaign: Strengthening Connections to Nature
August 2009   Members Keep TLC Conserving
May 2009   Join us in June
November 2008   TLC Plans to Succeed
August 2008   Only Way to Save Farms is Buy Local
February 2008   Time to celebrate
November 2007   Deep River deservedly recognized
August 2007   Land: They're not making any more of it
May 2007   TLC's landscapes are works of art
November 2006   TLC collaborates for conservation successes
August 2006   Members drive TLC's success
May 2006   Planting trees and promoting peace
November 2005   Big opportunity for Triangle conservation
July 2005   Passing the torch

Copyright © 2006-2008, Triangle Land Conservancy Last updated on 04/05/2009.