January 8, 2009

Dear TLC Members and Friends,

Happy New Year and thanks for reading TLC’s E-News!

1. December Deals Deliver Water Quality

2. Lower Haw & Animal Paws, TLC's January Backyard Adventure

3. Meet January's Members of the Month: Jennifer Kleckner and Jeremy Deyton

4. Mark your calendar for Wake County's “Keeping the Farm” workshop January 28

5. Perpetuating Small Farms, TLC Style

6. Hey, kids! The Irvin Learning Farm is coming this spring!

7. Timber! Learn about Forestry at the Irvin Farm on YouTube

8. TLC Board Member joins Perdue cabinet

9. Upper Neuse partnership honored with Goodmon Award

10. Remember important events (such as TLC Outings) and enjoy NC scenery with a new calendar

11. Where in the Triangle?

1. December Deals Deliver Water Quality

TLC completed four conservation projects in December to increase water quality protection across the Triangle. The projects, totaling 358 acres, will create almost 4 miles of water quality buffers on the Little River (Durham Co.), Neuse River (Johnston Co.), and Buckhorn Creek (Wake Co.). They will also protect important wildlife corridors and significant natural habitats. For the year, TLC conserved 1,639 acres through direct actions and in partnership with other agencies. Find out more online.

2. Lower Haw & Animal Paws, TLC's January Backyard Adventure

Are you sticking with your New Year’s resolution, or is it as forgotten as that ornament that rolled under the couch? Maybe you’ve resolved to get more exercise...or to get in touch with nature more often...or to take time to savor all the wonderful sights and sounds of the Triangle? Well, this month’s Backyard Adventure (and actually all of our Backyard Adventures) can help you accomplish any of these goals. Find out more online.

3. Meet January's Members of the Month: Jennifer Kleckner and Jeremy Deyton

Teachers at Durham's Charles E. Jordan High School, Jennifer and Jeremy have been TLC members since 2007. "We support TLC because while we understand the need for change, we would like to see natural areas preserved for future generations," says Jennifer. Find out more about Jennifer and Jeremy in our Member Spotlight.

4. Mark your calendar for Wake County's “Keeping the Farm” workshop January 28

Wake County Soil and Water, with other agencies, is leading a “Keeping the Farm” workshop on Wednesday, January 28, featuring discussions about estate planning, present use value property tax benefits, the voluntary agricultural district program, conservation easements (with TLC's Jon Scott) and new enterprise opportunities for landowners such as alternative/renewable fuels. Find details online.

5. Perpetuating Small Farms, TLC Style

The amount of available farmland in the Triangle is decreasing dramatically while the demand for locally grown food is increasing. What is TLC doing to improve this situation? TLC Conservation Strategies Director Jeff Masten explains in an article for the Property & Environment Research Center. Read it online.

6. Hey, kids! The Irvin Learning Farm is coming this spring!

A spring after-school program and a half-day summer camp at the Irvin Farm will provide hands-on arts and natural science experiences. Brought to you by TLC, the Grabel Foundation, the Conservation Fund and veteran educators Wendy Banning, Livy Ludington and Tori Ralston, the Learning Farm will be a place for discovery, fun and adventure in the natural world. Find out more online.

7. Timber! Learn about Forestry at the Irvin Farm on YouTube

So, why on earth is TLC cutting down trees at the Irvin Farm? Watch our YouTube video to find out.

8. TLC Board Member joins Perdue cabinet

On Tuesday, Governor-elect Beverly Perdue named TLC Board Member Lanier Cansler, a lobbyist and former legislator, as secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services. Congratulations, Lanier!

9. Upper Neuse partnership honored with Goodmon Award

The Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative (UNCWI) recently received the Goodmon Award from the Leadership Triangle for outstanding regional leadership. UNCWI is a partnership effort by seven nonprofit organizations, including TLC, that seek to protect the lands that are most critical for ensuring the long-term health of drinking water sources in the Upper Neuse River Basin, including Falls Lake and eight other reservoirs.

10. Remember important events (such as TLC Outings) and enjoy NC scenery with a new calendar

Photographer Kelvin Taylor has compiled a wall calendar featuring scenes from some of North Carolina's best natural features. Many of these places have been protected through the hard work of TLC and the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, and the price of each calendar includes a donation to both organizations. Learn more or order your calendar online.

11. Where in the Triangle?

The TLC “Where in the Triangle?” quiz is back to challenge your knowledge of the villages, backroads and crossroads communities throughout our region, from Bennett to Bentonville to Bahama. So, eager contestants, here is the next puzzle. 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, Lower Haw & Animal Paws). One lucky reader will receive a stylish TLC baseball cap. We will draw a winner from all the correct answers we receive at enews@triangleland.org by 5 p.m. on Monday, January 12.

Thanks to all of you who responded to last month’s “Where in the Triangle?” quiz! The correct answer was the Friendly Grocery at Cass Holt Rd & Buckhorn Duncan Rd near Harris Lake.