Although Lincoln County is not within our regular service area, The LandTrust for Central North Carolina played a key role in protecting an important conservation and recreational resource in the eastern portion of that county in late 2007.
In December The LandTrust accepted an 85-acre conservation easement donation on a tract adjacent to a YMCA facility under construction near the new U.S. Highway 16 corridor. The easement will protect a buffer of over 4,000 linear feet on Forney’s Creek and includes over 40 acres of floodplain. Known as Sally’s Y in honor of Sally Clark, a young woman who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident with a drunk driver, the YMCA facility also will utilize the conserved area for low impact recreational and conservation education programming.
The LandTrust partnered with Catawba Lands Conservancy, who received the underlying fee title to the property from the donors, to complete this project. “By donating the conservation easement to one land trust, and the fee title to another, the donors better insure the permanent conservation of the property,” says Jason Walser, executive director of The LandTrust. Walser explained this is a common arrangement between land trusts when a donor wants to donate both a conservation easement and the fee title for a piece of property. “We are excited about this opportunity to partner with a neighboring land trust while enhancing the protection of a wonderful conservation and recreational resource in a Piedmont North Carolina community,” notes Walser.
“Once again, The LandTrust for Central NC has proven a great partner in a great conservation project,” adds Dave Cable, executive director of the Catawba Lands Conservancy. “We are extremely grateful and indebted to The LandTrust for their support on this project.”