FCNC Spring Summer 2014 - Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina

DOUBLE YOUR DOLLARS &
SAVE THE PLACES YOU LOVE
DURING OUR SUMMER
FOOTHILLS
CONSERVANCY
BLUE RIDGE FOOTHILLS
PROTECTION CHALLENGE!
of North Carolina
WATCH YOUR MAILBOX FOR DETAILS
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #593
Asheville, NC
FOOTHILLS
CONSERVANCY
of North Carolina
P.O. Box 3023
135 1/2 West Union Street
Morganton, NC 28680
foothillsconservancy.org
NEWS
S P R I N G - S U M M E R
E
Coalition Works to “Shore Up”
Lake James Conservation Zoning
Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled fiber
FILL YOUR CALENDAR WITH OUTDOOR FUN!
Check www.foothillsconservancy.org for up-to-date event listings.
LOST COVE HIKE
JOHNS RIVER PADDLE & CLEAN-UP
CATAWBA RIVERFEST
Saturday, May 24, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hike to the top of Big Lost Cove Cliffs with FCNC’s
Andrew Kota on this popular, moderately
strenuous hike in Pisgah National Forest.
Free to FCNC members. Non-members $10.
Friday, August 22, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Have a fun day exploring & cleaning up along one
of our region’s best-kept secrets.
Canoes & assistance provided by CBS Sports.
Free & open to the public.
Saturday, September 20
Lake James State Park, Paddy Creek Access
Enjoy a day at Lake James & learn about the
many groups working to protect the Catawba
River & its lakes at this annual event.
Free & open to the public.
WATERFALL & BLUEGRASS HIKE
MUSHROOM FORAY AT
BUCK CREEK GAP
Saturday, June 7, 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Refreshments & bluegrass music by Gary
McCurry & friends will await hikers at a historic
log cabin after a strenuous hike to South
Mountains’ Shoal Creek Falls
led by FCNC’s Tom Kenney.
Free to FCNC members. Non-members $15.
FIRST BROAD RIVER PADDLE
& PROPOSED RESERVOIR TOUR
Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Float your kayak or canoe along a beautiful stretch
of this ancient river that would be inundated by a
controversial proposed reservoir. Led by David
Caldwell & FCNC's Susie Hamrick Jones.
Free & open to the public.
2 0 1 4
Saturday, August 30, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Become familiar with fungi on a hike on new
FCNC-owned land near the Blue Ridge Parkway
led by FCNC board member & avid mycologist
Jim Goldsmith.
Free to FCNC members. Non-members $10.
SAVE THIS DATE!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11
FALL HARVEST
2014 FLAVORS OF THE FOOTHILLS
BENEFIT DINNER & AUCTION!!
Check website this summer
for details.
MUSIC & STORYTELLING AT
THE ORCHARD AT ALTAPASS
Saturday, September 27
Check www.foothillsconservancy.org
in August for time & details.
Enjoy hay rides, hiking, home-made ice cream
& fall apples as Revolutionary War-clad
interpreters bring history alive at this
joint OVTA, CTNC, FCNC & BRC event.
Free & open to the public.
OVERMOUNTAIN VICTORY
CANE CREEK BATTLEFIELD TOUR
Saturday, October 4
Join FCNC & the OVTA for an interpretative tour
of this Revolutionary War Battlefield.
Free & open to the public.
For example, homes must be
set back a minimum of 125 ft
from the shoreline to minimize
run-off, and trees must be
left to hide structures from
view. Building height and
lighting restrictions further
protect the natural shoreline
views, while maximum 25%
slope and 10% impervious
surface restrictions, along
with strict septic system
requirements and storm water
control measures, help protect
the lake’s waters from sediment
and pollutants.
Scenic Lake James and its
surrounding mountain lands,
including the Linville Gorge,
are much loved by people
near and far who come to
hike, boat, fish and spend
time with friends and family
in one of North Carolina’s
premier outdoor recreation
areas.
In the late 1990s and early
2000s, Foothills Conservancy
was part of a broad coalition
of conservation groups,
Burke County officials and
citizens who worked together to find
ways to protect the lake’s scenic views and
water quality, enhance public access to
the lake’s waters and shoreline,
and encourage conservation-minded
development by Crescent Resources, at
the time a subsidiary of Duke Energy and
the largest landowner at the lake.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Gift Keeps Giving ...........................................2
Grants Protect History & Water............3
RSVP required for all FCNC outings at info@foothillsconservancy.org or at 828-437-9930.
Check www.foothillsconservancy.org for updates, details and any cancellations prior to event.
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and bring your own water and food if desired.
Taking Care of the Land.........................4-5
Saving the places you love
Saying Thanks & Goodbye....................11
2013 Protection Successes...................6-7
Donor Thanks!..........................................8-11
Lake James State Park below Short Off
and Table Rock in the Linville Gorge
A greatly expanded Lake James State Park
and a new Linville State Game Land
resulted from these efforts, along with
model conservation district zoning
adopted by Burke County in 2004 which
has since guided the successful
development of the lake’s newest
Crescent subdivisions at Dry Creek and
1780.
On the Burke County side of the lake, new
developments, such as these, are now
planned in such a way as to minimize or
eliminate impacts to the lake’s natural
shoreline views and water quality.
Because of the significance of Lake James’
waters, which feed the Catawba River -the drinking water source for more than
two million Carolinians -- and of the miles
of lakeshore lands which link to Pisgah
National Forest and the Linville Gorge
National Wilderness Area, any requests to
change Burke County’s 2004 conservation
measures must always be carefully
considered to make sure that the lake’s
views and waters remain protected.
Over the past eight months, Foothills
Conservancy, Lake James Environmental
Association, Table Rock Trout Unlimited,
the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and
the South Mountains Chapter of the Sierra
Club have once again worked closely
together as the “Lake James Conservation
Continued on page 4
OUR MISSION
FR O M O U R D I R E C T O R
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a
nationally accredited regional land trust, is
dedicated to working cooperatively with
landowners and public and private
conservation partners to preserve and protect
important natural areas and open spaces of
the Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills region,
including watersheds, environmentally
significant habitats, forests and farmland, for
this and future generations. The Conservancy,
a 501 ( c ) 3 nonprofit, serves eight counties:
Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba,
Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell and Rutherford.
Gift of Conservation Land
Will Keep on Giving
LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Carl Spangler, Chairman
Cleveland County
Charles Burgin, Vice Chairman
McDowell County
Shara Owensby, Secretary
Burke County
Robin Brackett, Treasurer
Cleveland County
Ron Beane
Peg Broyhill
Caldwell County
Caldwell County
Tom Foster
Jim Goldsmith
Catawba County
McDowell County
Kelly Hawkins
Susan Powers
Burke County
Caldwell County
Mike Tanner
Rutherford County
Susie Hamrick Jones
Ex-Officio
STAFF
Fifteen years ago, Mae Comer Parker
Boles of Colfax, NC, called Foothills
Conservancy’s office to ask if we
would be interested in helping her
find a way to permanently protect a
special tract of land that her parents
had dearly loved.
Growing up in Morganton, Mae had
often explored the 34 acres near
Lake Tahoma and Buck Creek along
HWY 80 above Marion with her
mother, Elizabeth, and father, Scott
Osborne, who was president of
Morganton’s First National Bank.
Adjoining Pisgah National Forest, it
was a special forested retreat filled
with rhododendron along a small
stream.
CONSULTANTS
Suzi Berl, Grants & Organizational Development
Edward Norvell, Legal & Land Protection
Early this year Foothills Conservancy completed a conservation sale of the Boles property to
conservation buyer Tim Gillion and simultaneously placed a conservation easement on the
property. Tim plans to eventually live on the land and pursue his interest in propagating and
growing native plants.
foothillsconservancy.org
The conservation sale generated proceeds that will help support additional land and water
conservation projects throughout our region, and a portion will endow the annual required
stewardship monitoring and legal defense, if necessary, of the permanent conservation
easement.
Mae’s determination to find a way to protect her family’s much-loved land is a wonderful
example of how a gift of land to a land trust can truly keep on giving.
“Daddy loved the mountains, and I do, too,” Mae said. “He would always say ‘Let’s go up to Buck
Creek Gap’, and I would know where we were headed. I think what the conservancy does is just
great. We need to protect as much land as we can.”
Foothills Conservancy is honored to be able to help Mae, and now Tim Gillion, and other
landowners protect the places they love.
FOOTHILLS
CONSERVANCY
of North Carolina
2
A modern-day “Overmountain Victory Man” brings
Revolutionary War history to life for hundreds of Rutherford
County school children at Gilbert Town.
To honor her parents, Mae decided to donate the land to Foothills Conservancy with the
understanding that it could eventually be sold to a conservation buyer. If sold, it would be
subject to a conservation easement to forever protect its forests, creek waters, scenic vistas
and other natural treasures while allowing one home site but no subdivision.
Mae’s gift would then not only protect her parent’s special retreat, but would keep on giving
when the conservancy used the proceeds from a sale to help conserve other special places.
Ph 828.437.9930 Fax 828.437.9912
Email info@foothillsconservancy.org
Two highly competitive grants awarded last December
by the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund
(CWMTF) will help Foothills Conservancy and its
partners protect two very different sites in Burke and
Rutherford County this year and in 2015.
A woods road winds through the hear
t of the
donated Boles property, now perm
anently
protected by a conservation easemen
t.
Susie Hamrick Jones, Executive Director
Tom Kenney, Land Protection Director
Andrew Kota, Stewardship Director
Mary Braun, Office Manager
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
P.O. Box 3023
Morganton, NC 28680
N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund
Grants Will Help Protect Revolutionary War Site
& Important Watershed Lands
Susie Hamrick Jones
Executive Director
South Mountains
Headwaters-Simms
Hill Tract
Foothills Conservancy received a $592,000 grant in December 2013
from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) for the
purchase of 2,113 acres in the South Mountains of Burke County. The
property shares three miles of boundary with the South Mountains
State Park and is an important watershed protection project at the
headwaters of the Jacob Fork and Henry Fork Rivers which feed the
Catawba River’s South Fork.
With a 2012 CWMTF grant of $600,000 and a private pledge of
$250,000, Foothills Conservancy now has $1,442,000 toward the $3
million purchase. Under the terms of a purchase contract with the
current landowner, the conservancy must raise the remaining $1.5
million by the end of 2015 to complete the acquisition.
N.C. State Parks desires a 700-acre section of the property to add to
the adjoining South Mountains State Park and has a pending grant
request to the CWMTF. Additional private money will be required to
complete the transaction. Upon acquisition, Foothills Conservancy
expects to own and manage the remaining 1,400 acres as a
conservation preserve.
Gilbert Town National
Historic District
It took years of perseverance by a private landowner and Foothills
Conservancy staff to forge the right partnerships and locate an
appropriate source of project funding to facilitate a conservation
easement project at the Gilbert Town National Historic District in
Rutherford County. During the waning days of the Revolutionary
War, both the British and the Patriots – the Overmountain Victory
Men -- camped in succession at Gilbert Town on their way to the
Battle of Kings Mountain, influencing the course of American history.
The largest obstacle to preserving this nationally significant cultural
site -- funding -- has been overcome.
In 2013, the N.C. General Assembly and the Governor made
important changes to the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund
(CWMTF). The state’s Natural Heritage Trust Fund was folded into the
CWMTF, which is now authorized to acquire not only lands that
protect the state’s fresh waters, but also lands with ecological, cultural
and historic significance.
In December 2013, a grant of $184,000 was awarded by the CWMTF
to the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, Foothills Conservancy’s
partner, to support the acquisition of a permanent conservation
easement on the largest tract in the Gilbert Town National Historic
District. A matching private contribution of $64,000 fulfills the project
funding. The easement will be executed before the end of 2014 and
will be held by the State of North Carolina.
S PRING - SUMMER 2014 • 8 28. 437 .99 30
3
Taking Care of the Land
Conservation Management on Land Trust Preserves
Foothills Conservancy has a 19-year legacy of conserving lands
and waters of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills
region.
Unless a property is transferred to a public agency for ownership,
the completion of any land protection project, regardless of size or
scope, is just the beginning of the conservancy’s permanent
commitment to preserving the land’s ecological resources.
“In addition to holding and stewarding permanent conservation
easements on almost 4,000 acres of private land,” explains
Andrew Kota, Foothills Conservancy’s stewardship director, “we
own and manage nearly 1,600 acres of preserve lands. Part of our
ownership responsibilities involves effectively implementing
conservation management practices that improve natural
resources that protect water and air quality, natural plant
communities and diverse wildlife habitat types.”
While a “hands-off” approach is one management option suitable
for natural lands, sometimes unmanaged areas can experience
various forms of deterioration or decline. This change is especially
true for property that has a history of active land use, such as
forest management or farming, and in places where access roads
pass through forests and cross streams. On lands where natural
systems are declining, conservation management can improve
natural resource values. But this activity costs money.
Fortunately, some federal and state cost-share grant programs
provide financial assistance to qualifying private landowners to
address natural resource concerns. Between 2011 and 2013,
Foothills Conservancy received several state and federal grants
totaling more than $17,000 to conduct approved management
practices that deliver environmental benefits. The conservancy
has secured funding from the USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service through their Wildlife Habitat Improvement
Program (WHIP) and their Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP), as well as from the N.C. Clean Water Management
Trust Fund for specific water quality improvement projects.
Through these management programs, Foothills Conservancy
fulfills its mission of preserving natural lands and waters, as well
as enhancing, restoring and promoting these resources for the
benefit of the public.
Conservation Easements – A Win-Win Conservation Tool
Almost all land trusts, including Foothills Conservancy, help landowners
permanently protect their privately-owned lands with a unique legal tool
called a conservation easement or conservation agreement.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between the
landowner and the land trust which holds the easement. Conservation
agreements enable landowners to preserve their land and maintain
ownership of it while donating or selling specific, designated rights - most
typically some or all subdivision rights -- to a conservation organization.
Each agreement is tailored to meet the needs of the landowner, while
protecting the property’s identified outstanding assets.
The landowner promises to protect natural resource values on the land that
provide public benefits. For example, these resources might be a pristine
stream, wildlife habitat, productive farmland, historic resources, rare or
endangered species or scenic vistas. The easement remains with the property
in perpetuity as ownership changes. The land trust holds the easement and
monitors the property, usually annually, to make sure the terms of the
agreement are being met.
Conservation easements protect the land’s resources in perpetuity to benefit
the public – for current and future generations to come. Donated conservation
easements may provide the landowner some tax benefits, since he or she has
“given up” some rights to their property which have an assigned value. As
with any real estate transaction, landowners should consult their personal
legal, financial and tax advisors before finalizing a conservation agreement.
Protecting natural areas and working farms and forests, Foothills
Conservancy currently holds easements on 3,808 acres. If you believe your
land may hold important natural resource values and would like to talk to the
conservancy about protection options, please contact Tom Kenney, Foothills
Conservancy’s land protection director, at 828 437-9930.
Preparing to remove an invasive Ailanthus seed tree.
A restored early succession meadow habitat.
From page 1
Coalition” to ensure that recent rezoning proposals by Crescent
Communities, LLC (no longer owned by Duke Energy) retain or even
enhance the protections achieved in 2004.
Along with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), which
represented Burke County in 2003-04 when Crescent Resources sued
the county over its conservation district zoning plans, the Conservation
Coalition has coordinated closely with equally concerned 1780 and Dry
Creek owners and met multiple times with Crescent and Burke County
representatives to discuss ways for Crescent to achieve desired density
and lot size flexibility while “shoring up rather than eroding” the
county’s conservation development requirements.
FO O T HIL L S C O NS ERVANCY. ORG
4
Crescent’s March rezoning application presented to the Burke County
Planning Board reflects substantial improvements over their initial 2013
proposal. They have adopted many suggestions made by 1780 owners
and the Conservation Coalition during a series of informed
conversations and negotiations over the past six months.
The end result, endorsed 4 to 1 by the Planning Board for final action by
the County Commissioners in May, is a greatly scaled back rezoning
request, limited to undeveloped lands within and adjoining the 1780
subdivision. Proposals to increase the number of allowed housing units,
build on slopes greater than 25% and to increase impervious surfaces
have been eliminated. Requests for 1 ½-acre instead of 2-acre lake front
lot sizes and for limited interior lot cluster developments remain in
return for Crescent’s applying Burke County’s much stricter zoning conditions also on the McDowell
County portion of the property.
In addition, Crescent has dropped its initial proposals to rezone a 125-acre tract deep within Lake
James State Park on the Linville Long Arm from a restricted site for a commercial Adirondack-style
lodge to 250 individual home sites and to rezone undeveloped parcels within view of the Linville
Gorge on the lake’s eastern shores to allow smaller lot sizes and potentially higher density.
While supportive of the revised rezoning request, coalition members continue to encourage Burke
County officials to carefully consider and seek public input on all future proposed subdivision plats,
while working with Crescent or future developers to ensure implementation of state-of-the-art storm
water plans and sewage treatment facilities and protect the lake’s scenic views.
2013: A Race to Protect
1,000+ Acres
Muddy Creek Farm and Working Forestland Protected
Decades ago, David and Betty Connelly found and purchased a large farm near Morganton.
Over the years, their management of the land in the Nebo area of McDowell County has
made it a haven for native wildlife and birds. While their ownership of the farm continues,
their charitable gift of a conservation easement to Foothills Conservancy on approximately
285 acres of farm and wood lands along South and North Muddy Creeks protects more than
two miles of creeks and tributary streams, provides scenic vistas from I-40, and permanently
conserves prime farmland and diverse working forestland.
Buck Creek Gap Bargain Sale Protects Blue Ridge Parkway
In December, landowners Roby and Glenda Wilson completed a below-market-value “bargain sale” to
Foothills Conservancy of 73 acres adjoining Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest lands along
scenic NC Highway 80 at Buck Creek Gap in McDowell County. The tract buffers parkway views, including
outstanding vistas from the nearby Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The conservancy will eventually transfer the
land, which includes the high quality trout waters of Buck Creek, to federal public ownership.
Conservation Easement Donation
Protects Left Fork Mulberry Creek
Landowners Wes and Phyllis Singleton donated a conservation easement on 50 acres of
scenic forested Blue Ridge Mountain land near Blowing Rock last December. The forests
and habitats below Rocky Knob Ridge adjoin Left Fork Mulberry Creek’s high quality trout
waters near its source west of US HWY 321.
Historic Cleveland County Lattimore Farm Conserved
Early last year, John and Lelia Lattimore conveyed a donated conservation easement to
Foothills Conservancy that will forever protect the family’s scenic and historic 123-acre farm
in upper Cleveland County along NC HWY 226’s South Mountains Scenery Scenic Byway.
The easement limits subdivision and residential development while preserving the land’s
conservation values which include crop, forests and grazing lands. Hinton Creek and other
streams lace the property and feed into the First Broad River, which supplies drinking water
to much of Cleveland County. Transaction and stewardship costs for the project were
provided by grants from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund and CTNC’s
Farmland Forever Fund and by the Lattimores.
1995-2013:
47,457 Acres
Protected
2013:
1,048 Acres Protected
Valued at $2,661,007
Wildcat Mountain Expands FCNC’s
Catawba Headwaters Preserve
After five years of effort, Foothills Conservancy completed the protection of 538 acres at
Wildcat Mountain near Old Fort in 2013 with the acquisition of the final 173 acres. This
scenic mountain protects Catawba River headwaters – vital to downriver water supply. Its
acquisition enlarges Foothills Conservancy’s Catawba Headwaters Preserve to about 1,350
acres which adjoin Pisgah National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Catawba Falls.
Natural Heritage Area Protected on Green Mountain
With the donation of a conservation easement to Foothills Conservancy on 248 acres
along Green Mountain in the Yadkin River Valley community of Happy Valley in Caldwell
County, landowners Joe Doll and Beverly Frye protected part of a North Carolina
Significant Natural Heritage Area and nearly two miles of Yadkin River headwater
streams. The project also protects views from the Upper Yadkin Way Scenic Byway. With
the project, Foothills Conservancy has now protected 1,100 acres with private
conservation easements in Happy Valley.
PUBLIC & PRIVATE GRANT FUNDS
MAKE CONSERVATION POSSIBLE
Last year, thanks to these funders and landowners who donated
conservation easements, Foothills Conservancy was able to complete
very significant land protection projects ahead of the January 1, 2014
elimination of the N.C. conservation tax credit program.
F O O T HIL LS C ONS ERVANCY . ORG
6
Shoal Creek Falls Tract
Will Close South Mountains State Park Gap
Thanks to last year’s sale of Shoal Creek Falls to Foothills Conservancy by the heirs of Eric and Velsie McCurry,
95 critical acres linking sections of South Mountains State Park near US Highway 64 are permanently
protected. Once it is transferred to South Mountains State Park, the property’s scenic falls and forests will be
accessible to the public. The purchase increases Foothills Conservancy’s protection of the South Mountains
– the heart and founding focus of our land trust in Burke, McDowell and Cleveland Counties -- to 28,595 acres.
Federal Grants
State Grants
• LWCF-Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund
• N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund
• U.S. Department of Transportation Scenic Byways
• N.C. Department of Justice’s
Environmental Enhancement Program
Private Grants
• Fred & Alice Stanback
• The Clabough Foundation
• National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
• Bernhardt Foundation
• CTNC Farmland Forever Fund
• Glass Foundation
• CTNC Money in the Ground Grant Program • Dover Foundation
S PRING - SUMMER 2014 • 8 28. 437 .99 30
7
Lands and Waters Protected – Thanks to You – Our 2013 Contributors
The Horizon Society
honors those individuals,
businesses, foundations and organizations who contribute $1,000 or
more during the year in support of Foothills Conservancy's land and
water conservation work. Horizon Society members are recognized
annually at a special event. Business members of the Horizon Society
receive special logo recognition on our website and in our newsletters.
For more information about ways to support Foothills Conservancy
at higher levels, contact Susie Hamrick Jones, Executive Director, at
828-437-9930 or by email at info@foothillsconservancy.org.
HERITAGE
Charles & Alice Carey
Charitable Fund
Conservation Trust for NC
Marilyn “Dee” North
Wesley & Phyliss Singleton*
Fred & Alice Stanback
Tim Sweeney
Janet Wilson
LEGACY
Blumenthal Foundation
Catawba County
David & Betty Connelly*
Crescent Resources, LLC
Joe Doll & Beverly Frye*
Dover Foundation, Inc.
Overmountain Victory Trail
Association*
David Rostan – Rostan Family
Foundation
Laura Smith
Brad & Shelli Stanback
Table Rock Pharmacy
The Clabough Foundation
von Drehle Corporation
PATRONS
Tom & Sandra Foster
Mike & Joella Fulenwider
John & Lelia Lattimore*
Gresham Orrison
John & Janice Rostan
Owen & Martha Whitfield
Clark & Le Erwin
Sarah Feely
Rick & Danyel Harris
Seth & Kelly Hawkins
Bruce & Debbie Hershock
Patrick Horan
Winston & Laura Hoy
Jenluma Clayworks Studio
Susie Hamrick Jones
Randy & Lea Loftis
Edward McMillan & Margaret
Divish
Steve Melton
Todd & Melinda Morse
Mull Foundation
Nick & Lynn Nicholas
Edward & Susan Norvell
Patterson's Amish Furniture
Anthony & Leslie Pierfelice
Pisgah Environmental Services
Susan & Bob Powers
Jeremy & Virginia Purbrick
Marsha & Iverson Riddle
Ken & Jane Roberts
Jim & Linda Rostan
Squeak & Connie Smith
Carl & Faye Spangler
The Morganton News Herald
Jennifer Kersten & Tim Roush
Richard & Ava Turner
Vulcan Materials Co. Mideast Div.
Ed Wall
STEWARDS
Michael Alexander
BENEFACTORS
Anne & Alex Bernhardt Foundation
Bob & Donna Benner
Sam & Caroline Avery
Bernhardt Furniture Foundation
Paul Bossert
Mae Boles
Roby & Julie Braswell
Robin Brackett-State Farm Insurance Brown Mountain Running Club, Inc.
Bill & Gwen Bradley
Danny Buxton
Charlie & Janet Brown
William & Georgia Collett
Charles & Bunnie Burgin
Mark Curry
Burke County Travel & Tourism
Emerson & Cheryl Dickey
Andrew & Jean Canada
Downtown Delights Cafe
Nancy Collett
Downtown Floral & Event Design
Community Foundation of Burke
Focus Magazine
County
Stacy & Helaine Funderburke
George & Ann Costello
Jim Goldsmith
Ralph & Peggy Edwards
FO O T HIL L S C O NS ERVANCY. ORG
8
Josh Goodfellow
Grandfather Mountain Stewardship
Foundation
Steve Hairfield
John Greene Chrysler Dodge Jeep
Tom & Casey Kilgore
Jonathan & Catherine Lowry
Scott & Laura Mulwee
Peter & Ann Nelson
Odean Keever & Associates
Roger Oxendale*
Packaging Corporation of America
Wade & Liz Parks
Anthony & Leslie Pierfelice
Lynn & Russell Pitts
Harold & Brownie Plaster
Republic Services, Inc.
Clay & Joani Richardson
Bill & Sandy Roork
Jim & Donna Rountree
Robert & Mary Marcia Salsbury
State Employees Combined
Campaign
Frank & Jackie Steele
Jerry Stensland
Mike & Lynn Tanner
Mary Todd
Bob & Jane Trotman
Karen & Chris Van Sickler
Bill & Judy Watson
PRESERVERS
Mike & Beth Allen
Bear Creek Marina & Restaurant
Beaver Family Foundation
Howard & Sandy Belfor*
Belle Farm
Tom & Sue Bowen
Branch Banking & Trust
John & Janice Branstrom
Gene & Sandra Brown
Ray & Sarah Buchanan
Bruce & Toni Byers
Tom & Cathy Byers
Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock Park
Creston Development
Bill & Bonnie Darrenkamp
Dashboards & Saddlebags Magazine
Deborah & Will Davis
Anne Denton*
Alan & Linda Eakes
David & Melissa Eggers
Thomas & Heather Finke
Forest M. Edwards Ins. Agency, Inc.
Mary & David George
Alan & Lu Griffin
Rance & Betty Henderson
Greg & Marty Hoff
Bob & Ina Holland
Dot Houlditch
Bob & Nancy Hunter
John S. Payne Photography
Mike & Rhonda Keeley
Tom & Wendy Kenney
Mackay Painting & Decorating, Inc.
Stephen & Jill MacMillan*
Bill & Nancy McCullough
Houck & K.B. Medford
Jonathan & Kim Miller
Morganton Aquatic Center
Natural Bridge of VA
John & Bev Nelson
Beth Parrish
Paul & Elizabeth Peralta
Phifer Johnson Foundation
Piedmont Audiology
Rotary Club of Lake Hickory
Sherrod & Jeanie Salsbury
Buck & Helgi Shuford, Jr.*
Fred & Sue Soule
Robert & Susan Stevenson
James & Adria Strife
The Kitchen Connection
Jim & Robin Van Jura
Doug & Gwen Veazey
Jim & Jean Veilleux
Robert & Amy Wald
John & Ashley Wilson
WNCW-FM 88.7
PROTECTORS
Nicholas & Aletha Aldridge
Tim & Lynn Allen
Fred Annand
Diane Arbour
Louis & Amy Asbury
Tom Atkinson*
Nina August & Lee Entrekin
Ellis & Barbara Aycock
Donald & Jane Bell
David Benner
Bernhardt Furniture Company
Biltmore Estate
Alice Bishopric
Jonathan & Paige Bivens
Hugh & Ann Blackwell
Ed & Sandra Blair
Tom & Beth Blanton
Body Tech
Steve Boehm
Lee & Dorothy Bowen
Winifred Boyd
Peter & Ellie Bradshaw*
Bob & Eleanor Brawley
Marshall Brooks
Stuart & Cindy Byers
Camp Lake James
Henry Cantrell
James & Linda Chester
Bay & Lucia Clark
Robert & Dawn Collett
Sterling & Martha Collett
Rhonda Cook
Lee Costner
Cranberry's & Lace
Charlie & Elizabeth Crotts
Nicholas Curtis
Bob & Wanda Dellinger
Steele & Molly Dewey
Bryon & Emilee Dickerson
Rocco & Ann DiSanto
Jim & Kimerly Edwards
Elden's Wood Work
David & Sun Ellertson
C.W. & Lyvonne Ellison
Betty Ervin
Dorothy Ervin
Jerry & Lynn Eskridge
Bogdan & Jackie Ewendt
Jay & Marlena Faircloth
Joyce Ferguson
Scott Ferguson*
Forrest & Becky Ferrell
Tom & Kathy Foster
Sylvia Fox
Rick & Debbie Franklin
James & Elizabeth Furr
G & G Art & Frame
Steve & Mary Jaeger Gale
Joe & Gloria Gaudet
Andy & Jane Glenn
Jim & Janice Gravely
Hampton Inn
Jim Haney
Jerry Haynie
Anna Hayward
Bruce & Lynn Henderson
Henry River Mfg., Inc.
Gene & Vonnie Hensley
Chip & Debi Hills
Sonny & Harriet Hines
Charles & Lynn Hoffman
Roger & Robin Holland
Erma Deen Hoyle
John Humphrey
Jack & Bev Hyatt
Inn at Glen Alpine
Roger & Janice James
Don & Janet Jerch
George & Suzy Johnson
Tom & Trish Johnson
Kala Gallery, Inc.
Jim & Mary Kelbaugh
KidSenses Museum
Linda & Jim Kincaid
Paul & Janet Kinsey
Bill & Linda Kopp
Rich & Tracy Krause
Margaret Lamere
Beth Lattimore
Marguerite Lavoie
Sally & Donald Lesher
Scott & Nike Lewis
Steven & Anne Lian
Alex & Marian Llera
Lowdermilk, Church & Co., LLP
Willie Lowe
Rainer & Roz MacGuire*
Jeff MacKinney
David & Constance Majka
Jim Mandeville
Manpower
Greg & Jenny Mastin
Fred & Bess Matthews
Steve & Janie Matthews
Bill McCarter
Ron & Terry McCollum
Adelia McSherley
Geoff & Kelly Messenheimer
Jay & Jennifer Mills
Burt & Ann Moncrief
Moose Vending
Graham & Barbara Morgan
Joe Morgan*
Jeffrey V. Morse
Phillip & Catherine Mousley
Dan & Lisa Oberer
David & Catherine Ohmstede
Chuck & Jerelen Ohrt
Mary Orrison
Steve & Judy Padgett
Jesse Palmer
Robert & Pam Parr
Lewis Paschall
Bill & Susan Perry
Brian & Elizabeth Phillips
Mildred Plaster
David & Susan Pollpeter
Mary Powell
Mike & Jackie Price
Bill & Sandy Puette
Louis Pugh
Ed & Abby Redman
Vince Reese
Ted & Holly Restel
Diana Richards
Robert O. Burns, Sr. Family
Partnership
Loren & Bonnie Roby
Mark & Leslie Rostan
Tom & Leslie Ruckdeschel
Jim & Pamela Sain
Carolyn Sakowski & Alton Franklin
Salon Professionals
Chip & Gay Saunders
Susan Scroggs
Alex & Nancy Shuford, II*
Sign It Clearly
Robert Sites
Keener & Joan Smathers
Jeff Smith
Lamar & Barbara Smitherman
Calvin & Mary Lou Sossoman
Russ & Janine Spiller
Mark & Ann Stalnaker
Tom & Tamra Starnes
Cliff Strassenburg
Carolyn Sullivan
Roy & Joan Summerfield
Tanner Corporation
Doug & Terry Taylor
Jeff & Joan Taylor
Judy & Dock Teele
Harper & Julia Thayer
The Boat House
Charles & Stacy Thomson
Rusty Triebert
Bill & Carolyn Vaassen
Trip & Rivka Van Noppen
Allen & Jean VanNoppen
Garry & Ruth Vogelpohl
Anne Vogler
Mark & Gwen Volker
Bob & Karen Vollinger
Lee Watkins*
Dewey Wells
Dick & Martha Wilkins
Billy & Debbie Williams
Betty Woerner
Rudy & Donna Wright
Charles & Elaine Young*
CONSERVATORS
Shuford & Jayne Abernethy*
Accessories Unlimited & Interiors
Mary Alexander
Apple Annie's Antiques
Baldies BBQ
Wanjenell Barrentine
Jim & Tammy Basinger
Robert & Elizabeth Bauer
Dean & Deborah Baughn
Beanstalk Journey
Isbell Behrer
James & Janice Berry
Rod Birdsong
Cliff Black
Thomas & Barbara Blackburn
Fred Blackley
Ken Bonfield
Spencer & Jayne Borden
Mark & Jill Boyce
Dana & Lisa Brooks
Lindsay & Deborah Browning
Peg Broyhill
Geoffrey & Ann Burbridge
Charlie & Jean Burleson
Troy & Freda Carriker
Carter Works Pottery
Catawba County
Catawba Science Center
Cauble Creek Vineyards
City of Morganton Parks & Rec. Dept.
John Coburn
Kelly Coffey
Rountree & Ellen Collett
Charles & Katrina Conley
Jim & Mary Helen Cornelison
Cornerstone Wine & Gifts
David & Amy Cortner
Blaine & Veryle Lynn Cox
Daniel & Linda Craig
Albert Dale
David & Pamela Daniel
Mary Danielson
Teena Davant
David & Vie Davis
Constance Desmond
David & Adair Dobrowski
Downtown Delights Cafe
Sam Elliott
Victoria & Robert Eves-Baber
Fred Falls
Michael & Kathleen Ferrence
Fiddlers Vineyard
Marshall & Suzanne Fisher
Foothills Pasture Raised Meats
Shirley Foushee
Michael & Mary Friedman
Linda Gensheimer
Wayne & Leslie Giese
Pete Gilbert
Gladys Gines*
Ginger Creek Vineyards
Glenwood Road Pottery
Good Earth Pottery
John & Jane Greene
Johnny & Connie Greene
Gregory Vineyards
Steve & Sue Gurley
Danny & Laura Gwyn
Jud & Kimberly Handley
Richard & Dorothy Hedrick
Charles & Greta Helms*
Heritage Homestead
Barbara Hersey
Bob & Marcia Hill
Bob & Elizabeth Hodges
Nancy Holcher
Beth Holcomb
Bill Holman
Mark & Sandy Hudson
Michelle Huelskamp
Bryan & Kara Jones
Randell Jones
S PRING - SUMMER 2014 • 8 28. 437 .99 30
9
Our 2013 Contributors – Continued
Pinnacle Society
Foothills Conservancy's
recognizes
thoughtful people who have chosen to leave a lasting legacy of land
and water conservation through a bequest to the conservancy in their
will or by naming the conservancy as a beneficiary of a life insurance
policy or retirement plan such as an IRA. We honor and thank these
generous forward-thinking individuals. For more information on
making a planned gift to Foothills Conservancy and becoming a
member of the Pinnacle Society, please call Susie Hamrick Jones,
Executive Director at 838-437-9930.
Tom & Miriam Jones
Robert Kaplan
John & Beth Keane
Amy Kirkpatrick
Kristy & Mom Jewelry
Jeff & Libby Kuch
Linda Leonard
Chris Loeb
Robert & Anne Long
John & Sarah Maddry
Robert McAdams
McDowell County Historical Society
Donald & Ann McNeill
John & Sondra Middleton
Miller's Blacksmithing
Minaccis Kitchen, LLC
Moody Hues Art
Ryan Morgan
Jim & Camille Moses
Bill & Mary Mull
Gerry & Margaret Nieters
Stephen & Lisa Nikrant
North Carolina Wine Gifts, LLC
Monica & Gary Olinger
Open Hearts Bakery
Holly Palm
Sharon Parker*
Parkway Vineyard & Winery, LLC
Hugh Payton
Lee & Debra Pennell
Ed & Becky Phifer
E. F. Pickett
Barbara Pleasants
Ed & Roben Plyler
Erin Price
Quaker Meadows Garden Club
Raintree Cellars
Rawhide Rancher
Dav & Eliza Robertson
Viki Robinette
Marc & Deborah Rudow
George & Dianne Russo*
Charles & Frances Scheil
Hannah Seng
Brian & Debbie Shaw
Gwen Sheder
Robert & Joan Shirley
Neil & Laura Sidden
Silver Fork Winery
South Creek Winery
Southern Charm Winery
John & Carol Spain
FO O T HIL L S C O NS ERVANCY. ORG
10
Tom & Maxine Spangler
St. Paul Mountain Vineyards
St. Peter Jesuit Community
Graham & JoAnne Stewart
Sybil Stewart
Stony Knoll Vineyards
John & Tami Summerour
The Enola Group
Michael Thomas
Larree Thompson
Linda Throneburg
Jane & Homer Townsend
Billie & Charles Vess
Jessica Vogel
Waldensian Style Wines
Cheryl Waltz
George & Betsy Wilcox
Raymond & Betsy Williams
Otis & Linda Wilson
Wisteria Southern Gastropub
WoodMill Winery
Agnes Yoos
FRIENDS
David & Rose Abbott
Zoe Allison
Americana Stage
Asheville Music Hall
Karen Berry
Bistro 127
Wayne Bowman
Kent & Jayne Bradley
Paul & Mary Braun
John & Callie Brown*
Bubba O'Leary's
Jackie Burke*
James Cameron
Ronald & Karen Cantrall
Bo Cash
CBS Sports
Andy Chused
COMMA
Aaron & Lisa Cook
Mack & Peggie Cook
Delores Deal
Don & Beth DeBona
Scott & Pam Dergins
Ronald & Lavonia Drabot
Cary Driver
Doug & Yanna Elliott
Dietrich & Elaine Fabricius
Kevin & Tina Farris
Tracy Dorothea Frye
Ron & Posie George
Bob & Lee Giduz
Harriet Goodrich
Gretchen Griffith
Brian Halliday
Heidi Hannapel
Ralph & Martha Hartley*
Hickory Nut Gap Farm
Roy & Patricia Hollifield
Barbara Houston
Deborah Hutchins*
Glynis James
Azmi & Maha Jarrah
J.V. Jones
Judge's Restaurant
Jeanne Juraschek
King Street Cafe
Jennifer Kiziah
LAMA Agency
Marlene Land
Ron & Kathy Lattanze
Patricia Lee
Charles & Laura Martin
Duncan McCall
Gary & Nancy McGill
Karla Miller
Deanna & Eric Minetola
MissionFish
David Moore
John & Jimi Moore
Denise & Marvin Mostiller
Dave & Phyllis Moulton
Mountain Burrito
Murray's Restaurant
William Myers
Mildred Newton
Newton-Conover Rotary Club
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Steve & Rosemary Ohnesorge
Britt Paige
Paws & Purrs Bakery & Boutique
Alicia Presnell
Randy's Custom Golf Clubs & Repair
Donna Robinson*
Cindy & Jim Rodgers
Diane Ruby
Rosalba Shook
Claude & Jo Sitton
Sharon Smith
Elizabeth Smyre
Richard & Marlene Spitz
Marjorie Strawn*
John Tutwiler
Nancy Van Noppen
Roger & Sandra Warren
Linda West
Janice Whicker*
Greg Wilson*
Wilson Creek Outfitters
Webster & Jewel Wright
Nancy Yudell
GIFT MEMBERSHIPS
Andy Ferrell*
by Jessica Vogel
HONORARY GIFTS
Allen & Jean VanNoppen
by Trip Van Noppen & Rivka Gordon
Andrew Kota
by North Carolina Botanical Garden
MEMORIAL GIFTS
Al Perusse
by Mike & Beth Allen
Betty Jones
by Mildred Newton
Brad Goodman
by Robert & Susan Stevenson
David Spring
by Roger & Sandra Warren
Diane Hamer
by Quaker Meadows Garden Club
Dr. Lois Lowry
by Jonathan & Catherine Lowry
Elizabeth & William Carpenter
by Sarah Feely
Evan Jones
by Michael L. Thomas
Graham W. Denton, Jr.
by Anne Denton
Angie & James Todd
by Mary Todd
John P. Rostan, Jr.
by John & Janice Rostan
Becky & Munroe Cobey
by Mary Todd
Linda
by Mark Curry
Bob & Anne Yudell
by Nancy Yudell
Bob Thompson
by Ellis & Barbara Aycock
Gresham Orrison
by Mary Orrison
Janet Wilson
by Ann Burbridge
Ann McNeill
Betsy Wilcox
Debra Pennell
Dot Hedrick
Frances Scheil
Joan Shirley
Linda Throneburg
Lisa Brooks
Nancy Holcher
Peg Broyhill
Sherry Ford
Shirley Foushee
Susan Stallheim
Teena Davant
John D. Hege
by Cindy & Jim Rodgers
Mary M. Waltz
by Cheryl Waltz
Neil J. Morrison
by Bill & Mary Mull
Norbert Schneider
by Otis & Linda Wilson
Ruby Huss
by Michael L. Thomas
Thomas C. Ellis
by Alan & Linda Eakes
PINNACLE SOCIETY
Anonymous (3)
Mae Parker Boles
Robey & Julie Braswell
Mark Hudson
Margaret Lamere
Squeak Smith
Richard & Ava Turner
*New Donors
…………………………….
Please forgive any errors or omissions &
contact us with any corrections!
Mary George
by Newton-Conover Rotary Club
Giving Levels
Nature Camp, VA
by Raymond & Betsy Williams
Robbie & Jared Carraghan
by Bob & Susan Powers
Scott & Meryl Lawrence
by Dean & Deborah Baughn
Squeak Smith
by Bob & Donna Benner
Susan Powers
by Rainer & Roz MacGuire
HORIZON SOCIETY
Heritage.......$10,000+
Legacy.............$5,000+
Patron.............$2,500+
Benefactor.....$1,000+
Saying Thanks
& Goodbye....
…To Our Development Director Lynn Allen
For the past five years, Foothills Conservancy has
been fortunate to have Lynn Allen lead our
private fundraising efforts as our development
director. Lynn brought years of experience to this
role. She greatly expanded and enhanced our
development program, launching several fun,
new events, including the Foothills Wine
Festival and Flavors of the Foothills benefit
dinner and auction which attracted hundreds of
people to our land and water conservation
mission, which Lynn deeply believes in. We had
to say “thanks and goodbye ” to Lynn at the end
of December, when she decided it was time to
take a much deserved break. She will be missed
by all of us who work at the conservancy and
by our board and supporters. Lynn is a horse
lover and avid rider, so we wish her many
adventures and “happy trails”!!
…To the Foothills Wine Festival
Over the past four years, Foothills Conservancy has had the pleasure of helping to introduce
thousands of people to our region’s growing and thriving community of wineries at the Foothills
Wine Festival. Many partners and sponsors helped to launch and make this festival a success each
year, including Lake James Cellars and the Inn at Glen Alpine, the location for the first two years,
and Morganton’s Recreation Department which provided the Catawba Meadows location for the
last two years.
This year, the Conservancy is saying “thanks
and goodbye” to the wine festival but not to
the wineries and the artisans, farmers, local
musicians and business sponsors who made
the festival a special spring event and to
whom we extend our deepest gratitude.
We encourage you to attend the many other
fine wine festivals scheduled in our region,
and watch for news of other Foothills
Conservancy events, including our October
11th Flavors of the Foothills benefit dinner
and auction, that will continue to incorporate
and celebrate our region’s rich and varied
agricultural, artistic, and musical heritage!
Steward................$500+
Preserver..............$250+
Protector ..............$100+
Conservator ..........$50+
Friend ......................$35+
SPRING - S UM M ER 2014 • 828.437. 9 930
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