Triangle Land Conservancy: Member Spotlight July 2010


	Triangle Land Conservancy 1101 Haynes Street Suite 205 Raleigh, NC 27604 919.833.3662

Member Spotlight

Jeff and Eric Ginsburg

For Jeff and Eric Ginsburg, it started with the turtles.

On a canoe trip along the Okefenokee Swamp they spotted a sign for the Carretta Research Project, considered the most respected long-term program to study and document the lives of loggerhead turtles. So Jeff and Eric signed up and spent a week on an island off the coast of Savannah, Ga. – a very rustic week they laugh – in a simple cabin with bunk beds and outdoor showers. They patrolled the beach all night counting, tagging and measuring the turtles and their eggs.

It was one of the best weeks and turned into countless summers returning to work with the program. There are albums brimming with snapshots, including of years they brought their young son, who’s now grown up and an organic farmer in California, with them.

The Ginsburgs even had a chance to work with turtles in Greece while Eric was on sabbatical to the World Health Organization in Switzerland. But it was the box turtle nest Eric discovered in the woods behind their home in Chapel Hill that sparked the connection with TLC. They were both concerned with how development was encroaching on the native areas those turtles called home.

“They’re tied to the land,” said Jeff, who earned a nursing degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and works with UNC Hospice. “How those turtles are doing is a great indicator of how our environment is doing. Knowing that land here in the Triangle – in our backyard – is protected means a lot to me.”

And “in our backyard” is not just an expression. Living next to TLC’s Irvin Farm they’ve seen that conservation work up close and for the Ginsburgs, who spent their honeymoon camping on beaches all the way up to Vancouver, Canada, that focus on protecting local lands resonates.

For Eric, that interest started early. He grew up in Reno, Nevada, and has fond memories of driving his Jeep to the desert or mountains to hike and camp. As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley studying public policy and natural resources, Eric worked summers with the U.S. Forest Service and got involved in conservation work. That zeal for spending time outdoors and connecting with the land has been a lifelong venture.

“I just really love the outdoors,” said Eric, a lawyer and policy advisor on air pollution with the EPA. “For me, it’s the belief in something bigger than myself and also having the ability to leave a legacy, because this is all we’ve got.”

Jeff and Eric became River Society members in 2003 because they felt strongly about making that commitment to local conservation, said Jeff who grew up in Oakland, Calif., and volunteers with the Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic.

Jeff and Eric, who live with dogs Chaco and Tater as well as their turtles, enjoy kayaking on Jordan Lake and are active with both West Grove Quaker Meeting in Snow Camp and the Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. Eric brews homemade beer and makes Native American-style flutes, often crafted from old pieces of wood and furniture scraps.

Member Spotlight Archives

June 2010 - Greg Smith and Cyndi Grover

May 2010 - Todd and Kathleen Shapley-Quinn

April 2010 - Joyce & Fred Sparling

March 2010 - Diane Allen

February 2010 - Jane Kendall and Ran Coble

January 2010 - Kris and David Jackson

December 2009 - Carol Ruess

November 2009 - Kent Fiala

October 2009 - Linda and Rufus Edmisten

September 2009 - Barbara and Jonathan Sheline

August 2009 - Shannon Bueker