July 9, 2008

Dear TLC Members and Friends,
 

Thanks for your patience with all our messages of late. It's a busy time of year, and we appreciate you plugging into our work. We couldn't do the conservation work we do without your support.  Thank you.

1. Land Trust Day: 15 LOCAL businesses supporting LOCAL conservation

2. Green Jamboree

3. Ride for the Land 2008: The Little River Roll

4. July Member of the Month – Bud Taylor

5. Farmland Funding

6. Funding awarded for Freak of Nature

7. Neuse in the News

8. Burrito Bash - Save the Date

9. TLC Welcomes New Board Members

10. Message of the Month

1. Land Trust Day: 15 LOCAL businesses supporting LOCAL conservation

2. Green Jamboree

Three hundred people turned out to celebrate at TLC's Green Jamboree at the Irvin Farm on Saturday, June 21. And what a celebration it was, with great music by The Bluegrass Experience, great food by Thrills from the Grill caterers, great beer from Carolina Brewery of Pittsboro, great weather, and fun activities. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped make Green Jamboree 2008 happen, and of course to our generous sponsors: Coastal Federal Credit Union and Josh & Robin Gurlitz. Read more and check out photographs by volunteer Ty Rhudy and event planner Brian Sewell online.

3. Ride for the Land Little River Roll

Grab your water bottle and put air in your tires! On July 19 we're introducing the Triangle's cycling community to the Little River watershed and our work to conserve it. The third annual Ride for the Land features 30-, 45-, and 60 mile routes winding through the hills and valleys of the Little River watershed.

   Some of the most beautiful pastoral scenes in the Triangle region are found among the rolling hills and tidy farms of the Little River watershed in Durham and Orange counties. This area has been a conservation focus for TLC for a decade, our efforts conserving close to 2,000 acres here. Proceeds from Ride for the Land will support TLC’s conservation work in the Little River area.

   Register by July 12 to take advantage of our early bird special ($25). Details and registration.

4. July Member of the Month – Bud Taylor

Bud Taylor has served on the Land Protection Committee and the Board of Directors, credentials that may seem incongruous to Bud’s vocation as a forester. But not to Bud.

   “I know there are some groups that will say, ‘We don’t want you to cut those trees, we’re going to sue you,’” Bud said. “I felt like TLC’s statement would be more like, ‘We don’t want you to cut those trees, we’ll buy them.’”

   Read more about Bud and hear excerpts of the interview on our Member Spotlight page.

6. Johnston County awards grant for improvements to Freak of Nature

The Johnston County Recreation Grant Program awarded TLC with $8,000 for improvements to the Flower Hill Nature Preserve including benches and a small parking area. Located in northeast Johnston County, the Flower Hill area is important both for its ecological diversity and cultural history as a recreational gathering place for the community. The name Flower Hill comes from the abundance of Catawba rhododendron found on the steep north-facing bluffs overlooking Moccasin Creek. These flowers are more commonly found in the mountain region of North Carolina. The Catawba rhododendron population was first documented by famed botanist B.W. Wells in the late 1930s, who is reputed to have called the area “a freak of nature.” Read more about Flower Hill and TLC’s work to conserve this “freak of nature” online.