Since 1983, when he began growing organically at Ayrshire Farm in central Chatham County, Bill Dow has always been on the leading edge of the local food movement. Now he’s leading again, this time in conservation. On May 7, Mr. Dow granted a conservation easement on his 22-acre Ayrshire Farm to Triangle Land Conservancy. This is TLC’s 52nd conservation easement project, but the first on one of the Triangle region’s many small, organic farms. Read more, and see Bill Dow talk about organic farming and conservation in our YouTube video.

Joe and Frances Moore donated a conservation easement on their Buffalo Ridge Farm north of Selma to Triangle Land Conservancy at the end of December 2009. The conservation easement ensures tthe 132-acre property will not be subdivided, that a portion of the land will be maintained in a natural state as a water quality buffer for Buffalo Creek, and that much of the land will always remain available for agriculture and forestry. Read more.  

The owners of two eastern Wake County farms—Fern Hill Farm and Hidden Spring Farm—donated conservation easements to Triangle Land Conservancy at the end of December 2009. The conservation easements ensure that 209 acres in the rural area north of Knightdale and Wendell will not be subdivided. Read more.  

Bill and Mary Mills donated a conservation easement on their farm in the Green Level community of western Wake County to Triangle Land Conservancy at the end of December 2009. The conservation easement on 41 acres of the 50-acre farm means that area will never be subdivided, that a portion of the land will be maintained in a natural state as a water quality buffer for Jordan Lake, and that much of the land will always remain available for agriculture. Mills Farm is within the Cary planning jurisdiction and near a future I-540 interchange—development pressure would be tremendous in the future. Read more.  

Hildegard Ryals, a longtime conservation leader in Durham, donated a conservation easement to Triangle Land Conservancy on a 59-acre tract in northern Durham County at the end of December 2009. By donating a conservation easement, rather than donating the land itself, Ryals retains ownership of the property. The conservation easement allows for the possibility of a 3-acre home site in the future, and Ryals can also leave the property to her heirs or sell the land. But any future owner will have to abide by the terms of the easement, which requires the property to be permanently maintained in a natural state. As private land, the property is not open to the public, but Triangle Land Conservancy may receive permission to occasionally lead outings on the land. Read more.