October 10, 2008
Dear TLC Members and Friends,
Thanks for reading TLC's E-News! If you know someone who would enjoy reading this newsletter, please forward it to them.
1. Join TLC for a mountain getaway close to home: White Pines Nature Preserve, October 18
2. Summit connects innovative conservation projects across the Triangle
3. Paddles & Battles: TLC's October Backyard Adventure
4. Wake-Johnston assessment identifies land most crucial for conservation
5. October Members of the Month - Claire Horne and Aris Buinevicius
6. Help remove trash from Jordan Lake
7. Planning for the future of your farm and forest in Johnston County
8. Reality Check nominations due October 15
9. Celebrating the mountains, the sea and everything in between
10. New Hope artist opens studio/gallery to benefit TLC
11. TLC + Haw River Assembly + Burritos = Fun!
12. Where in the Triangle?
1. Join TLC for a mountain getaway close to home: White Pines Nature Preserve, October 18
TLC's 25th Anniversary outing for October brings us to White Pines Preserve in Chatham County for three distinct outdoor explorations: birding with Karen & Joe Bearden at 9 a.m.; natural exploration with naturalist Jesse Perry at 11:30 a.m.; and a spiritual and musical exploration with spiritualist Temple Richmond at 11:30 a.m. Details online.
2. Summit connects innovative conservation projects across the Triangle
Join TLC, Triangle J Council of Governments and Duke University at the Regional Conservation Summit on October 23 to learn about innovative projects protecting green space in the Triangle. From water quality to wildlife habitat, recreation to working lands, the conservation initiatives across the Triangle vary widely, yet work together in a shared sense of priorities and responsibilities. The information from this Summit will be used to update progress on the Triangle GreenPrint and as a basis for regional planning efforts. Learn more online.
3. Paddles & Battles: TLC's October Backyard Adventure
As your travel agent for Backyard Adventures, TLC is pleased to announce this month's itinerary: Paddles and Battles. This tour features the Deep River as it meanders between Chatham and Lee Counties, along with visits to the site of a Revolutionary War skirmish and the Devil's Tramping Ground. Find out more online.
4. Wake-Johnston assessment identifies land most crucial for conservation
UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student and TLC intern Dan Bursuck devoted his summer to developing a GIS-based conservation assessment of Wake and Johnston counties to identify lands with high conservation value. The assessment evaluates the landscape to identify specific properties that would provide the most benefit to water quality, wildlife habitat, and protect the most viable working farms and forests. Find out more about this project online.
5. October Members of the Month - Claire Horne and Aris Buinevicius
River Society members Claire Horne and Aris Buinevicius try to support organizations that benefit three groups: people, pets, and wildlife. "With land conservation, everyone prospers," says Claire. "People, possibly with their dogs, enjoy the land for years to come. And North Carolina wildlife obviously can use every available acre."
Read more about Claire and Aris on our Member Spotlight page.
6. Help remove trash from Jordan Lake
Five partner organizations are recruiting volunteers from across the Triangle to clean up tons of trash near the Robeson Creek Boat Ramp, October 18 at 8 a.m. Trash carried downstream on the Haw River has accumulated along the shore and in the coves at the southern end of Jordan Lake. The trash could impair wildlife in the area, including a nesting pair of bald eagles, ospreys and egrets. There is no land access to this area of the lake, so volunteers with boats are especially needed. Find more information online.
7. Planning for the future of your farm and forest in Johnston County
On November 7, Johnston County landowners should join the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and guests, including TLC's Jon Scott, in a discussion of opportunities available for planning the future of farms and forests. Topics include voluntary agricultural districts, property tax benefits, conservation easements, cost-share programs, estate planning and more. Find details online.
8. Reality Check nominations due October 15
We all know the Triangle region has seen extensive growth, and more is in store, with a projected population of 3.2 million people by 2030. That is why the Urban Land Institute, along with Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle District Council of ULI are bringing Reality Check, a visioning and growth prioritization exercise, to the Triangle in February. Nominations for participants in Reality Check will be accepted until October 15. Find more information online.
9. Celebrating the mountains, the sea and everything in between
Governor Easley has proclaimed October as Mountains-To-Sea Trail Month, and celebrations are planned across the state. TLC has been involved with planning the trail, from determining the route through the Triangle to property selection and protection. We are currently acquiring a tract in Johnston County that will serve as a node park for the trail with two miles of trail and camping facilities. TLC is also working on other protection and acquisition efforts related to the 900+ mile trail in Orange, Durham, Johnston and Wake Counties. Look online to see where you can join the Mountains-To-Sea Trail celebrations across the state.
10. New Hope artist opens studio/gallery to benefit TLC
Artist Emily Eve Weinstein, whose book Saving Magic Places features 100 color plates of her New Hope Creek paintings, opens her studio for a TLC benefit on November 23. Guests can visit any time between 1 and 4 pm to view Emily's paintings, talk with her about her work, and purchase books and paintings. Emily will be donating 35 percent of sales to TLC. TLC staff will also be on hand to talk about our work. Light refreshments will be served. We hope you can join us! Information online.
11. TLC + Haw River Assembly + Burritos = Fun!
We sure raised the roof at the Burrito Bash with the Haw River Assembly and General Store Café. Trilogy grooved for a sold-out crowd feasting on delicious burritos. Through ticket sales and a silent auction, TLC raised over $2,600 to help save the places we love. Special thanks to Vance and Joyce Remick, owners of the General Store Café, for providing the venue and food for this great event. Thanks also to the hard-working staff of the Café and volunteers from TLC and HRA for their extra efforts in accommodating the large crowd! And thanks to all of you who joined us! Check out our pictures online.
12. Where in the Triangle?
With props to Carolina Country magazine for the idea and Joe Miller's "Get Out! Get Fit!" N&O blog for using the name first, this month TLC's E-News tries something new... the "Where in the Triangle?" quiz.
To many people, the Triangle means the area along I-40 between Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh. But not to us at TLC. Here, the Triangle is every square inch of Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Orange and Wake counties, and our conservation work brings us to almost all of those square inches. As we conserve the most important natural areas in the region, our work takes us all over the region, from Bennett to Bentonville to Bahama, and to all the villages and backroads and crossroads communities in between.
Our "Where in the Triangle?" quiz will take you to some of these places too. If you've been there, and if you recognize the landmarks we've photographed, you just might win a TLC baseball cap.
Just take a look at this picture, then send an e-mail telling us where you think the photo was taken. (Here's a hint: the photo was taken in the region of this month's Backyard Adventure, Paddles & Battles). We will draw a winner from all the correct answers we receive at enews@triangleland.org by 5 p.m. on Monday, October 13.
Thank you to all who submitted answers to last month's Nature Quiz. Here is last month's quiz, complete with answer:
Thrill and adventure I seek,
Excitement to end the week.
Birds, beasts, and trees abound
And elation I've found
Hiking the bluffs of Swift Creek.
Jennifer Peterson
Communications Coordinator
jpeterson@triangleland.org
(919)833-3662 ext. 108
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