May 7, 2008

 

Dear TLC Members and Friends,
A twist on the old saw. April showers bring... the end of the drought—almost. Last week's rains helped much of the Triangle escape the "drought" tag. Johnston County, most of Wake, and the southeast corner of Durham were all upgraded to "Abnormally Dry." That's a start. The rest of Durham, Orange, Lee and most of Chatham have been reclassified to "Moderate Drought," while the northwest corner of Chatham remains in "Severe Drought." Let's plan to keep our umbrellas and galoshes handy and look forward to more rainy days.

 

All of this water makes us at TLC think about... PADDLING! We were starting to question the wisdom of scheduling three river paddles as part of our 25th Anniversary Outings series. And anything can still happen. But right now conditions look great for upcoming trips on the Neuse (two different trips on May 31) and the Deep (June 28). Read on for trip and registration details.

 

Please bear with me one more moment while I welcome scores of new readers to E-News. Those of you who signed up at the Raleigh Conservation Gardens Tour, at the Raleigh Earth Day event, and online—Welcome!

 

1. Tickets on sale now for TLC's Green Jamboree at Irvin Farm (June 21)

2. Have water, will paddle! Neuse River (May 31) and Deep River (June 28) 25th Anniversary Outings

3. Aveda Earth Month 2008 update

4. May Member of the Month – Dianne Bertsch

5. 14 businesses on board for Land Trust Day 2008 (June 7)

6. Mark's Creek Initiative tops 1,000 acres conserved

7. Twig Green Day fundraiser (May 17)

8. SCOPE rocks out for TLC

9. TLC News available online

10. Make your voice heard at Land for Tomorrow Lobby Day (May 20)

11. Apex hosts "Conservation Days" (May 31)

 

1. TLC's Green Jamboree - 25th Anniversary Celebration - June 21, 3 to 7 pm

Didn't make it to TLC's 25th Anniversary Gala? Here's your chance to celebrate TLC's 25th Anniversary, no tux necessary.

Join your fellow TLC members at the Irvin Farm (Jones Ferry Road, Orange County), a 269-acre mix of farmland and forest donated to TLC by the late Elinor and J. Logan Irvin.

Enjoy a BBQ dinner (vegetarian options), music by The Bluegrass Experience, guided hikes, catch-and-release fishing, REI's "PEAK" program for kids and lawn games.

Advance tickets are $10 per person (kids under 12 free); tickets at the door are $15. Get your tickets now online at greenjamboree.org!

 

2. Have water, will paddle! Neuse River (May 31) and Deep River (June 28) 25th Anniversary Outings

Here's a twist... two river trips on the same day. On May 31, TLC is offering two different paddle trips on the Neuse River in Wake County. You like a short, leisurely river trip in the cool of the morning? Our 3.5-mile morning trip is for you! Prefer a good workout and getting a little sun? Come on our 6-mile afternoon trip! In training for the 2008 Olympics? Do both! Registration details and more info.

     No twist on our second 25th Anniversary paddle. On June 28 we're offering the ever-popular Deep River "Coal Valley" Paddle. This flat water trip will include an optional walk to the Endor Iron Furnace and tales from the fascinating industrial history of this would-be "Pittsburgh of the South." Registration details and more info.

All trips cost $25 per person for TLC members, $35 for non-members. That price includes canoe/kayak rental. If you're bringing your own boat, lop $5 off the price.

 

3. Aveda Earth Month 2008 update

There are still a few more days to help Aveda raise money and awareness for TLC! Many Aveda locations, including the Aveda Institute Chapel Hill, will be continuing their fundraising efforts through May 10. Currently, Aveda has raised more than $30,000 for TLC during Earth Month 2008! Please visit aveda.com to find your local Aveda location.

 

4. May Member of the Month – Dianne Bertsch

As a neighbor of TLC’s Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Dianne Bertsch enjoys the benefits of conservation every time she goes for a walk. “I’m usually in Johnston Mill two or three times a week. They’re not making land like this
anymore!” Dianne jokes.

Read more about Dianne on our Member Spotlight page.

 

5. 14 businesses on board for Land Trust Day 2008 on June 7

Land Trust Day 2008 is just around the corner, so get your shopping lists ready!

What's Land Trust Day? On the first Saturday of June, businesses across the state show their support for their local land trusts by donating a percentage of their sales, supporting membership drives, or by making donations. Great Outdoor Provision Company, a Raleigh-based outdoor gear retailer, began Land Trust Day in 1992 as a way of giving back to groups that are protecting the great outdoors of North Carolina. Learn more at landtrustday.com.

 

Land Trust Day 2008 retailers supporting TLC include:

Anders Natural Soap Co. – State Farmers Market, Raleigh

Barnes Supply Co. – 9th Street, Durham

Bean Traders Coffee

          Durham: Homestead Market (NC 54 & Fayetteville St)

          Chapel Hill: Meadowmont Village

Cozy – 9th Street, Durham

French Connections - 178 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro

Great Outdoor Provision Company

          Raleigh: Cameron Village and Falls Village

          Durham: Northgate Mall

          Chapel Hill: Eastgate

Harmony Farms – 5653 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh

Ornamentea - 509 N West St, Raleigh

The Play House Toy Store – 9th Street, Durham

The Regulator Bookshop – 9th Street, Durham

Townsend Bertram & Company – Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro

Twig – Village Plaza, Chapel Hill

Vaguely Reminiscent – 9th Street, Durham

Wild Bird Centers – Eastgate, Chapel Hill

 

We'll need about 20 volunteers to staff TLC information tables from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the four Great Outdoor Provision Company stores in the Triangle. To volunteer, contact Marisa Bryant at mbryant@tlc-nc.org or 919-833-3662 (ext. 111).

 

6. Mark's Creek Initiative tops 1,000 acres conserved

In late 2007 and early 2008 the Mark’s Creek partners purchased two tracts, bringing the total land conserved in the area to just over 1,000 acres on 12 tracts. And the area is becoming the focus for more than conservation. Read more

 

7. Twig Green Day fundraiser (Saturday, May 17)

Mark your calendar for the Twig Green Day Fundraiser! We are partnering with Twig, a new green store in Chapel Hill, in this exciting fundraising event on Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

     Twig is a store focused entirely on earth-friendly, sustainable and fair trade products. It is located next to Whole Foods Market on Elliott Rd in Chapel Hill. Twig is donating 20% of revenue for the May 17 event and 5% of sales for the balance of that week to several environmental non-profits. Proceeds from the event will be distributed among the non-profit partners as designated by each customer at the check out, so please remember to mention TLC!

     Twig’s Green Day Fundraiser will be a festive event with music, hourly prize drawings plus snacks and refreshments provided by Whole Foods. It's a great occasion to connect with fellow supporters and other like-minded community members. By participating in this creative fundraiser, you will be supporting TLC’s work, supporting an eco-friendly local business and promoting a more environmentally sustainable world for us all. It’s a strong win-win-win for building a healthy community.

 

8. SCOPE rocks out for TLC

On April 25, SCOPE (Students Concerned Over the Environment) held a benefit concert on behalf of TLC in Raleigh.  SCOPE is a student-led nonprofit started in 2005 to promote, protect, and preserve the environment by educating and involving youth. This was the group’s second benefit concert for a local environmental nonprofit, and they hope to make it an annual event. This year’s concert feature two bands, The Leafy Greens and StereoJunkie, and raised $472.  Other SCOPE projects have included Adopt-a-Highway and donating more than 20,000 can tabs to the Ronald McDonald House. Triangle-area high school and college students interested in joining SCOPE can contact Alison Grady at scopenc@gmail.com. TLC thanks SCOPE for all the hard work on this year’s benefit concert!

 

9. TLC News available online

The pdf version of TLC's May 2008 newsletter is now available online. Check it out.

 

10. Make your voice heard at Land for Tomorrow Citizen Lobby Day (Tuesday, May 20)

TLC will be joining the statewide conservation community for our annual land and water conservation lobby day at the General Assembly. This year's effort is coordinated by the Land for Tomorrow coalition and is being called Land for Tomorrow Citizen Lobby Day (more info).

     You recall that Land for Tomorrow is the multi-year effort seeking $200 million a year in additional conservation funding for five years to help the state meet the Million Acre goal (to conserve 1 million acres by 2010). Last year the General Assembly committed $108 million for conservation and farmland preservation. We'll be back this year asking for that commitment to be met again (or doubled!).

     It's important for TLC staff to represent the organization's (and by association, our members') interests in the General Assembly. But it's even more valuable when our members themselves make contact with their representatives and senators.

     Please help us put the citizen in Land for Tomorrow Citizen Lobby Day on May 20! Come to the General Assembly for the day (or even just an hour or two) and we will pair you with a TLC staffer for a meeting with your legislator. Contact Communications Director Doug Nicholas (833-3662 x102 or doug@tlc-nc.org) to join us.

 

11. TLC co-hosting Apex "Conservation Days" (Saturday, May 31)

TLC is co-hosting the first ever “Conservation Days” in Apex on Saturday, May 31. This celebration invites Triangle residents to share, participate, and see firsthand what we as a community can do to conserve and protect our environment and natural resources. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. visit the Town of Apex Community Center (53 Hunter Street, by Town Hall map) to meet green vendors in the fields of land and water conservation, energy use, gardening and green building.

 

Doug Nicholas

Communications Director

doug@tlc-nc.org

(919)833-3662 ext. 102

Not a TLC Member?  Click here to join!

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