Winter 2014 - Pacolet Area Conservancy

Printed on recycled paper
PACOLET AREA CONSERVANCY
saving the places you love
since 1989
828-859-5060
info@pacolet.org
NEWS
www.pacolet.org
December 2014
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” - John Muir
PAC Ends 2014 with Two Additional Land Protection Projects
PAC is proud to announce that two more properties
have been forever preserved.
Manfred and Christel Walter are no strangers
to PAC. They both have been involved ever since moving to the Mill Spring area in 2002. Christel has served on
committees and the PAC board. The two, originally from
Germany, have a strong land ethic. To say they know every
square inch of their land is to put it mildly. They walk their
ninety acres frequently looking for plants, mushrooms, and
new discoveries. Manfred is quite a good carpenter and
has built benches and footbridges in many places.
The couple first developed a Forest Stewardship Plan, with the help of the Polk County Stewardship
Committee. Then, earlier this year, they called PAC about
protecting their land with a conservation easement. “Preserving the land through a conservation easement was
simply the next step to make sure that our wishes will be
adhered to and that our role as caretakers will continue as
our legacy for future generations,” says Christel.
The property is composed of a maturing hardwood
forest mixed with pine. The property straddles the Green
River and protects both sides of the River for approximately
1,200 feet.
“We knew that writing a conservation easement
is a process that should not be taken lightly and requires
that all parties work together diligently. We found that Pam
PAC’s Pam Torlina, left, with Manfred and Christel Walter,
signing the conservation easement documents.
Ann Allen tends some plants on her property in Columbus,
where she recently protected it through a conservation
easement with PAC.
Torlina, PAC’s Director of Stewardship and Land Protection, was always responsive to our questions and wishes,
offered suggestions to help clarify our thoughts and helped
us come up with solutions. It was a pleasure working with
PAC because its goal ‘saving the places you love’ is evident
in the staff’s professionalism and true commitment to go out
and get it done.”
Ann S. Allen donated a conservation easement on
8.18 acres of her farm on Collinsville Road in Columbus.
The parcel is located near five other properties already protected by PAC, which makes the preservation project even
more significant.
Located in the North Pacolet River watershed,
the property is a maturing forest along Hooper Creek and
Meeks Creek. Protection of this area will provide and insure
a riparian buffer to both of these waterways forever – nearly
1500 feet along Hooper Creek and about 400 feet on
Meeks Creek. The property has a nice diversity of native
plants, providing a natural greenway, habitat for terrestrial
and aquatic wildlife, and enhancing the natural experience
for users of an equestrian trail system.
As with all of the conservation easements that the
land trust holds, PAC will follow up with the Walters and Ms.
Allen on an annual basis to monitor the land and ensure its
long-term protection.
PAC Officers and
Board of Directors
Elizabeth “Dibbit” Lamb, President
Renée McDermott, Vice-President
Babs Strickland, Secretary
Jay H. Davies, Treasurer
Carole Bartol, Immediate Past President
Steve King
Alan Leonard
Gerald Pack
Janet Peterson
Ford Smith PAC Staff
Mary Arrington Walter,
Executive Director
Pam Torlina, Director of Stewardship
and Land Protection
Debra Hansborough, Office Assistant
Susan Kelley, Office Volunteer
Gretchen Verbonic, Office Volunteer
____________
The mission of the Pacolet Area
Conservancy is to protect and
conserve natural resources with
emphasis on the lands and
waterways with scenic,
ecological and agricultural
significance in the North Pacolet
and Green River watersheds.
PAC has helped protect over
8,530 acres of our area’s
valuable natural resources.
PAC holds conservation
easements on 54 protected
properties and owns 25 properties.
PAC is responsible for
monitoring 66 easements annually,
7 of which are held by the state of
North Carolina and one which is
held by The Nature Conservancy.
Dear PAC members and supporters,
It is with sadness that I rotate off the
Board of Directors, and step down as
President of PAC at the end of December.
And it is with a clear feeling that PAC has
accomplished a lot in my two years as
president; not all or even mostly due to
me, but due to the hard work and dedication of many people, especially the office
staff and volunteers.
I will not be leaving PAC altogether; I
will stay on as a member of several committees, and will be active volunteering
and assisting at activities.
I would like to take this opportunity
to thank you all for your support of PAC,
and hope that you will look for ways to
increase your help, whether financially,
with hours volunteered or with activities
shared.
Please keep reminding your friends
and neighbors of PAC, since without PAC,
there would be fewer of ‘the places we
love’, and the rural character that drew
many of us to the area would disappear.
Elizabeth “Dibbit” Lamb
Please become a member today!
Name _______________________________
PAC is a proud member of:
Address _____________________________
Blue Ridge Forever
City, state, zip ________________________
Land Trust Alliance
Memorials in 2014
A Letter from PAC’s Board
President
Conservation Trust for North Carolina Phone # _____________________________
e-mail _______________________________
In Memory of Mara Smith:
Terry Ackerman and Monica Jones
Jennifer Alexander
Bonnie Joy Bardos
Chris and Carole Bartol
Beverly Woods Elementary
Jeri and Warren Board
Tim and Lucy Brannon
William and Tammy Coleman
Rosemary Dunn
David and Robin Edgar
Patricia Gaas
Bill and Diana Gleasner
Rick and Susan Kelley
Ryan and Brennan Kennedy
Claude and Patricia Koenig
Tommy and Missy Lytle
Martha Mason
Dale and Wendy McEntire
Lynne Parsons and Ernest Giannini
Elaine Pearsons
Alan and Harriet Peoples
Tory and Janet Peterson
Timothy and Beth Thomas
Carolyn Vanderberg
Manfred and Christel Walter
Jean Winslett
In Memory of Margaret Jones:
Ivey and Jim Sumrell
In Memory of Al Rolla:
Gloria Cartelli
Helen Trevathan
In Memory of Oren and Helen Hannon:
Beryl Dade
In Memory of Woodrow W. McKee
Juanita M. Bruce
In Memory of Sam White:
Stephanie White
In Memory of Trip Hoffman:
Maude Carr
In Memory of Joe Hamlin:
Helen Trevathan
Membership levels include:
• Watershed Society $5000
• River Society
$2500
• Lake Society
$1000
• Creek Society
$500
• Stream Society $250
• Tributary Society $100
• Brook Society $50
• Spring Society $35
You are saving the places we love
While every effort is made to be accurate in our list of donations and memberships, some errors and omissions may,
regrettably, occur. We apologize and ask you to bring it to our attention by calling our office, 828-859-5060 or writing
info@pacolet.org.
Memberships and Donations January through December 15, 2014
Watershed Society
David and Sue Mullen
Bailey and Elizabeth Nager
$5000 and above
Nature’s Storehouse
Anonymous
Dr. Gillian Newberry
The Estate of Margaret M. Bennett
Ron and Mary Ostheim
Janet Chapman
Owen’s Pharmacy
Pacolet Milliken Enterprises
Gary and Jean Snipes
Polk County Community Foundation
Guy and Lisa Spriggs
Bob and Barbara Strickland
Stott’s Ford
Mary Walker, Haskell Fund
Timken Steel
Fred and Belynda Veser
River Society
Manfred and Christel Walter
$2500-$4,999
Mary Arrington Walter
Robert and Lisa Bezzeg
David and Daryl Nelms
Tributary Society
Lake Society
$1000-$2,499
Bonnie Brae Veterinary Hospital
Roger Clifton
Steve and Marie King
James F. Matthews
James and Renee McDermott
Bob Tobey and Donna Martin
Laurence Wassong
Wells Fargo Advisors, Tryon
Creek Society
$500-$999
John and Cindy Boyle
Maude Carr
Jeff and Sherry Carter
Jay and Zora Davies
Duke Energy-Shelby
First Citizen’s Bank
Hertha Flack
Delores Lastinger
Lee and Connie Lomax
Walt and Jo Myers
Norcross Wildlife Foundation
Vic Bailey Imports, Inc.
Stream Society
$250-$499
Chris and Carole Bartol
Tim and Lucy Brannon
Thomas R. Cadier
Donna Cart
William and Tammy Coleman
Elizabeth Dicey
Iain Fitch
William and Kathy Gruhn
Harmony Motors
Dale and Patricia Holl
Nancy Holmes
Jim Hostetter
Nancy Hudson
Edward Jones, Columbus office
Lisa Krolak
Dibbit Lamb
W J and Elizabeth Laughridge
Alan and Susan Leonard
Greg Miner and Linda Knippa
$100-$249
Dalon and Ann Bass
Susan Bennett
Joe and Denise Boals
Larry and Gretchen Boyd
Mrs. Robert Bundy
Peggy Burke
Janet Connell
Eleanor Cox
Marion Crounse
Camilla Dick
Bernard G. Drummond Fund
Gillian Drummond
Mark and Jane Eden
Donald and Phyllis Eifert
Patricia Gass
Rosemary Gerstenberger
Paul and Sidney Gooding
Larry Greenspon
Marta Hanson
Molly Harrison
Brevard Henry
J W and Frances Hillhouse
Susan I. Hunt
Ron and Jill Katalinich
Elaine Jenkins and Bruce Fritz
Rick and Susan Kelley
Jim Kelly
Rebecca P. Kennedy
Ruediger and Ehrengard Koch
Joyce Lamb
Laura Ledford
Donald and Jean Lessig
Shirley Lovely
George and Wanda May
J. Mark and Carol McCall
Janet Peterson
Jean Pettigrew
Norm Powers
Joseph C. and Alberta Phayer
Field Russell
Frank and Iva Rymer
Robert Seller
Hank and Sandy Sibley
Mr. and Mrs. Blake Smythe
R. Paul Spanjer
St. Luke’s Hospital
Ivey and Jim Sumrell
Randy and Suzy Thrasher
Gloria Underwood
Peter and Kim Weinheimer
Brad Whitney
Bonnie Wood
Brook Society
$50-$99
Wayne and Phyllis Ackerman
Jay and Cornelia Alexander
Jeanne Brittingham
Jackie Burke
Phil and Marcia Burrus
Mark and Linda Byington
Isabel Child
John and Alice Claggett
Lee and Jeaneen Cobourn
David and Sky Conard
Shelley Dayton and Michael Gron
Ann Denton
Mary Lou and John Diekmann
Stuart Evans
Joni Fielding & John Scales
Shields and Frances Flynn
June Franks
John and Ann Gargiulo
Ray Gasperson
Jay and Lori Geddings
Polly Slater Glover
Ashley Goodlett
Karen Graham
Green Blades Garden Club
Jim and Kathy Gross
Steve and Rennie Habel
Steve and Georgia Herring
Dale and Patricia Holl
Melinda Holland
Tom and Vicki Jackson
Carolyn Jones
Monica Jones
Clyde and Doris Kaericher
Patrick Kennedy
Ed Komorous
Charles and Bonnie Lingerfelt
Harry and Martha Love
Carol A. Maclean
Jon and Judy Matheis
Fred Matthews
Jack and Barbara McEwan
Bob and Nancy McKinstry
Marion and JoAnn McMillan
Reid McNutt
Betsy Miner
Paula and Nelson Minnick
William and Dorothy Moyer
Bob Neely
Joanie and Roger Newman
Alfred and Sally Page
Dwight and Liz Patterson
Guenter & Marianne Panoscha
Jim Peterman
Milton and Nita Ready
Dave and Isabel Rice
Bea Rolla
Olin and Mary Ann Sansbury
Carl and Jane Schumacher
Ford Smith
John Michael Scales
Gwen Suesse
Nettie and George Sweet
Alan and Jenny Taylor
Vince and Floretta Tenney
James W. and Mary Trunk
Karen Van Arsdale
Pamela Vance
John and Elizabeth Walker
Madelon Wallace
Linda Watts
Cee Cee Wilmanns
Dogan and Veronika Wilson
Ron and Sherri Wingo
Spring Society
$49 and below
Margaret A. Barry
Bruce and Kathy Bartlett
Ken Bartlett
Christine Cheseldine
Donald Clapp
Elon and Virginia Clark
Elvin and Connie Clark
James and Patricia Cowan
Karen Sue Dow
Claire and John Durkin
H. L. and Nancy Ezzard
Susan Fedor
Andy Foster
George and Rachel Gould
Charles Hall
Diane Brantley Hankins
Susan and Stan Harris
Margaret Howe
Susan Hunt
Joe and Betty Jackan
Maryneal Jones
William B. Jones
Klaus Karwath & Edith Hoffman
Rebecca Kemp
Sally Lockridge
Joan Lonnes
J. Louise Markel
Robert and Mary Martlock
Fred Matthews
Ann Morgan
Joanie Newman
Liz Norstrom
Orchard Inn
David Osten
Alan and Harriet Peoples
Sam and Eva Pratt
Alex Salley
Nancy G. Snowden
Pat Strother
Louise Tidman
Mike and Gretchen Verbonic
Keith Viglietta
Shirley Waddell
Andrea Walter
Carol Whaley
Marshall D. Yeager
OLET ARE
PAC
A
CONSERVANCY
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 529
Spartanburg, SC
29306
Saving the places you love
850 North Trade Street
Tryon, North Carolina 28782
828-859-5060
It’s not too late
to make a tax
deductible
donation to PAC
PAC’s hikes were very popular this year and Pam is
planning our Spring Hikes now. The first one will be
in late February, so watch for those dates and places!
Please let us know if you are not receiving our e-blasts
by calling the office and giving us your e-mail address.
A tax-deductible contribution to PAC can be
a wonderful way to honor or remember your
friends and loved ones. To make an honorarium
or memorial gift, or a holiday gift, just give
us a call at 828-859-5060. PAC will notify the
person(s) of your gift with a lovely card.
Nature Education Programs return again!
Anne Elizabeth Suratt Nature Center
at Walnut Creek Preserve
Cynthia Terwilliger will present a program Saturday, Jan.
10th at 10:30, highlighting her spectacular photography.
She says, “When the temperatures are below freezing
for a few nights and the daytime temperatures hover
nearby — magic happens. “Carpe diem” is an imperative
when searching out winter waterfalls. Here in Western
North Carolina our days below freezing can come and go
quickly. Seize the moment. What you see will melt away
and that special moment will never come again in exactly
the same way.”
PAC and Foothills Humane Society partnered for a 7-mile hike
along the Green River Cove Trail recently. It was enjoyed by
the dogs AND the people walking them. We will definitely plan
another pooch/person outing!