Fall 2011 - Davidson Lands Conservancy

DAVIDSON LANDS
PROTECTING LAND IN AND AROUND DAVIDSON
Fall 2011
Davidson Lands Conservancy
0
80
82
0
800
760
Abersham
228.93 Total Acres
Mecklenburg Co.
33.65 Acres
70
0
Mecklenburg Co.
4.00 Acres
Rocky Rive
r
0
72
7
800 60
700
760
Mecklenburg Co.
77.64 Acres
680
.
rg Co
Mecklenbu
820
0
80
760
Come see Abersham on Sunday November 6 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.
e
Sh
DLC Nature Fest /Annual Meeting
Sunday, Nov. 6, 2:00 - 4:00
er
ar
R
800
78
0
d
Fisher Farm
6.00 Acres
780
720
Join DLC members and the general
public for
Fisher Farm
Road
200.03 Acres
natureShearer
activities
for
young
and
old
Rural Corridor
Legend
• 2:00 - 3:30 Nature Fest activities
76• 2:00 Nature Hike with Pat Peroni or Bird Walk
0
with Mark Stanbeck, both from from Davidson College;
sign up at the Welcome Tent. The hikes are limited to
25 people, first-come,
first-served. Both hikes are off0
70
0
trail, moderate
in
difficulty,
and cannot accommodate
2
7
strollers. Both begin at 2:15 and last until 3:00.
• 3:30 - 4:00 DLC Annual Meeting
• 4:00 County unveils the new park
entrance and announces the official name
Proposed Greenway
760
Existing Overland Connector
740
Streets
ho
Intermittent Streams
2 Ft Contour Lines
100 Ft Contour Lines
er
0
80
Ri v
100 Year Flood
ky
740
0
76
SWIM Buffer
800
Rocky River
Parcels
0
oc
66 e R
660 f th
County Line
W
Existing Greenway
nc
660 Bra
660 est
760
Future Greenway
Conservation Easement
Property Owner Types
Town of Davidson
Mecklenburg County
7
Abersham
60
660
Join in activities for all ages:
• Make pine cone bird feeders
• Decorate your own birdhouse ($10.00)
Supplies are limited, first-come, first-served, one per family.
• Learn to identify birds by sight and
sound with Rob Van Epps and Taylor
Piephoff who writes a column for the Charlotte Observer
• View foods favored by local birds and learn about
backyard feeding with Joe Kaestner from Birds UnLimited
• Speak with experienced nature photographers
Russ and Nancy Gavitt, Allan White and other Carolina
Nature Photographers
• Experience the ancient sport of falconry as
Davidson student Jackie Barry displays a live hawk
0
250 500
1 : 1,000
1,000 Feet
February 2010
Erica Palmisano
A 243-acre “jewel” of open space that would have been
the fifty-home housing development known as Abersham
has instead been preserved as public parkland by the
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Its mix
of mature woodlands, open fields, and riparian areas
is further enhanced by its adjacency to Fisher Farm
and Allison Farm facilities for a combined parcel of 563
contiguous acres of designated open space.
Credit for this success is shared by many as noted in
this account by Kris Krider, himself a key driver in the
lengthy effort. Davidsonnews.net contributed information
to the following account:
Local developers Ed Harris, Steve McLeod and Roy
Goode provided valuable insight into the real estate
market perspective. Former Town Board Commissioner
and former DLC president Dave Martin was instrumental
in bringing the parties together. Town Manager Leamon
Brice and Assistant Town Manager Dawn Blobaum
provided the internal support. Mayor John Woods was
a key political liaison and was essential to keeping the
project alive. DLC Executive Director Roy Alexander was
Brackettin
Bluffpainting the portrait of the environmental value
helpful
76.94 Total Acres
of the property,
enough to convince the county and the
0
Trust for74 Public Land that this was a once-in-a-generation
opportunity. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation
Director Jim Garges was our biggest ally. He was always
optimistic about our chances.
Importantly, the land appraiser and broker Smitty
Smith was a key player in the negotiations as he kept
the lines of communication open between the banks,
county and the Trust, as we kept going back to ask for
more time. Kudos to Community One and Fifth Third
banks. In the face of a financial loss, pressure from
federal regulators and their respective boards, they still
maintained the interest of the public benefit above what
they could have gotten by selling to private investors.
Without the patient persistence of Slade Gleaton at the
Trust for Public Land, this deal would have died a year ago.
Co.
Montgomery
5.12 Acres
0
78
720
Many Come Together to Accomplish Purchase
Rd
Montgomery
11.61 Acres
74
0
720
820
Cabarrus
680
ey
Gr
Co.
Blue Bird Farms
135.66 Total Acres
740
800
680
700
Conservation Victory!
Iredell Co.
Mecklenbu
rg
Vol. 8, No. 2
Directions to Abersham: From Main Street in Davidson,
proceed east 0.6 miles on Concord Road. Turn left onto Grey Road
for 2.8 miles and continue past the first entrance to Abersham
(Grey Rd becomes Greystone Road at the Iredell county line).
Take a slight right at Shearer Road for 0.1 miles. Turn right at the
main entrance to Abersham on Pleasant Garden Drive. For more
information, call 704-892-1910 or visit www.davidsonlands.org.
4th Graders Study Nature at
Davidson Elementary Schools
“We visit the fourth grade classes each fall,” notes
Alice Sudduth, who along with Jane Holland, Rosemary
Klein, and Davidson College students, visits elementary
schools in Davidson.
The highlight of the visit is a game called “Oh Deer”
that demonstrates the importance of open space, followed by a discussion stressing all we can do to protect
the environment and preserve resources.
Each member of the class receives a “What’s In Your
Backyard, Davidson?” placemat that features pictures
of Davidson wildlife taken by DLC member Allan White.
Wow Celebrates
Its First Year
WOW, a collaboration of DLC and Woodland Discovery,
provides children and their parents new opportunities
to discover the natural world together. WOW has been a
huge success thanks to dedicated committee members
Erin Burke, Pam Dykstra, Rosemary Klein, Rebecca
Mays, Patti McKinnon, Alice Suddreth, and Carolyn
Walker. Attendance at the WOW booth at the Farmers’
Market has steadily grown each Saturday from about 20
children to over 75. Children have made hummingbird
feeders and leaf prints, learned about frogs and turtles,
and painted rocks, sunflower pictures, and bee houses.
The WOW off-site outings provide families with nature
experiences such as “Who Lives in This Creek?” and
“Where Do Spiders Hide?” led by David Grant, “Who
Lives in These Trees,” led by Rob Van Epps, and “Who’s
Chomping the Kudzu?” led by Irvin Brawley.
WOW’s email list now tops 400! To receive weekly
notices of upcoming events, email [email protected]
Cakey Worthington teaches children environmental principles of
hiking and camping at the campout.
DLC Sponsors Campout and
Stargazing at Fisher Farm
Over 80 adults and children enjoyed “Saturday in the
Park,” a family-friendly nature day and night sponsored
by DLC and REI at Fisher Farm Park on Oct. 8. Hikes
through meadows, forest and streams were led by
Dr. David Grant and Reed Patterson, while DLC Board
member Rob Van Epps led participants on birdwatching
tours of this 200 acre gem on the east side of Davidson.
Davidson College student and DLC Board member
Cakey Worthington led children in fun and educational
games, including “Trash Your Trash” and a discussion of
“Leave No Trace” principles for hiking and camping.
As the warm day gave way to a cool evening, a
bonfire was lit and campers roasted marshmallows and
made s’mores. Afterwards, Cakey read “The Lorax,”
followed by a discussion of enjoying the out of doors in
an environmentally responsible manner. Some reported
the sounds of a coyote pack coming from the lower
meadows of Fisher Farm. Kudos to DLC vice president
Rodney Graham who organized this event.
The stars came out over Fisher Farm Park on
October 14 when DLC co-hosted a stargazing event
with the Davidson College Physics Department and
the Charlotte Astronomy Club. 20 astronomers focused
their telescopes on different areas of the night sky.
Over 300 people were able to observe the moon in
great detail, spot Jupiter and Uranus, and get a good
look at different galaxies, including Andromeda and the
Great Hercules Cluster.
Fisher Farm Park is held in a conservation easement
by Mecklenburg County. DLC is the monitoring agent.
Volunteers recently began constructing 1600 ft. of new trail within Lake
Davidson Nature Preserve. DLC’s David Martin and REI volunteers are
shown above. Funded by a $9,981 grant awarded to DLC by REI, the
trail loops around the shoreline of the peninsula and includes a gazebo,
picnic tables and benches. The preserve, located behind Davidson
Day School, provides the first and only public access point on Lake
Davidson since the lake’s creation in the 1960s. Sterling Martin and
Irvin Brawley will lead another workday on the fifth of November.
PAGE 2
Run for Green
and Green Day
A Huge Success
DLC’s 2011 Run for Green
and Green Day Festival
exceeded expectations
with 776 entrants in
the 5K, 10K and HalfMarathon and over 30
festival exhibitors!
Thanks to the support of
sponsors (shown on page
4) and over 100 volunteers,
DLC netted over $20,000
from the event, the primary
source of DLC’s operating
funds. “Not only does Run
For Green keep the doors
open,” Roy Alexander said,
“it provides opportunities
for the entire community
– from individual runners
to local businesses – to
advocate for protecting
land.”
Run for Green’s success
was the culmination of
nine months of diligent
work by the Steering
Committee, composed of
Roy Alexander, Bill Latham,
Rodney Graham, Sterling
Martin, Chad Randolph,
and Pam Dykstra – and
the Green Day Steering
Committee made up
of Susan Abbott, Amy
Diamond, Pam Dykstra,
Kathryn Spatz, and Lilly
Vicens. Toxic Spouse, The Rusty
Knox Band, the Community
School of Davidson
High School Choir, and
the Lake Norman Youth
Choir provided lively
entertainment throughout
the day.
Mayor John Woods, race director Bill Latham, Green Day announcer Jim Fuller, and Carolina Raptor Center’s
Michele Houck release a hawk, rehabilitated at the CRC. Photo by David Boraks, DavidsonNews.net
These runners on Davidson’s greenway are part of the 776 entrants for the 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon.
Plant lovers shop at The Davidson Garden Club annual plant sale, one of over 30 Green Day Festival exhibits.
PAGE 3
Thank You for Sponsoring Run for Green/Green Day!
Please support those who support DLC.
Friends
BJ’s
Food Lion
Summit Coffee,
Trader Joe’s
BOARD MEMBERS
Roy Alexander, Executive Director
STAFF
P.O. Box 1952 • Davidson, NC 28036
704-892-1910
[email protected]
www.davidsonlands.org
Davidson Lands Conservancy
www.omegasports.net
Silver Sponsors
Anonymous
Cooling the Carolinas
Davidson Day School
DavidsonNews.Net
Endurance Magazine
Fuller & Carnegie
Litigation Lawyers
JJ Wade Insurance
John Marshall Custom Homes
Lakeside Family Physicians
Michael Van Hecke Design
PostNet
Race City Golf Cars
Sue Peck
Wooden Stone
Green Sponsors
Adjusting the World Chiropractic
Artisan Custom Homes
Artisan Signs and Graphics
CyclePath
Davidson Chocolates
Davidson Screen Printers
Davidson Village Inn
JANPAK
My Aloha Paddle Sports
REI
Pam Dykstra, President
Rodney Graham, Vice President
Rob Van Epps, Secretary
Brenda Pressley, Treasurer
Hayden Boyd
Irvin Brawley
Lacy Dick
Rosemary Klein
Bill Latham
Dave Martin
Ross Meentemeyer
Autumn Michael
Mike Minett
Pat Peroni
Kathryn Spatz
Mary Perrin Stark
Cakey Worthington
Platinum Sponsors
Anonymous –“In Honor of
Sterling Martin”
Flatiron Kitchen and Taphouse
KOLA Construction
River Run Community at Davidson
Rusher Oil Co.
Gold Sponsors
MI-Connection
Peoples Bank
Town of Davidson
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Title Sponsors
Ingersol-Rand
Omega Sports