As you travel down rural Ben Lambeth Road in scenic Randolph County, you’ll drive past beautiful pastoral farm fields and forests. Now, thanks to a generous donation of a conservation easement by the Hussey Family, a 43-acre property on this route is permanently protected. This newly conserved property protects a portion of the county that is threatened by development, as the nearby city of Asheboro continues to expand.
With a new Toyota plant coming to Liberty, the landscape of Randolph County is surely going to change in the next few years. Land prices are getting higher and the ability to conserve farmland is only going to be more and more difficult. Although many conservation easements are purchased through grant funding, some are still donated by generous landowners who only want to see their family land protected. Those landowners often receive tax benefits for their easement donations, but their true motivation is conservation of places that are special to them.
“Three Rivers Land Trust prides itself on protecting family farms and open spaces,” states Associate Director Crystal Cockman. “Working with families to conserve special natural areas and farmland through donated conservation easements provides the most conservation bang for the buck, so to speak. These projects can be completed quickly and efficiently, and allow us to protect areas that otherwise may not be able to be conserved.”
“It was a pleasure working with the Hussey Family on this conservation easement,” states Land Protection Specialist Kyle Shores. “When a family comes together and agrees to permanently protect land that holds so much meaning to them, it’s a real honor to help shepherd that process and assist them in reaching that goal. And now these 43 acres will be available for future generations to enjoy.”