In a season characterized by goodwill, the Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC) announces a generous gift of conserved land in Davidson, N.C., located near the Pines at Davidson, a retirement community, and proximate to the historic part of the Village.
In addition to donating the conservation easement, the landowners also contributed all the transaction closing costs and created an endowment to ensure the land is stewarded and the conservation agreement defended, forever. While they wish to remain anonymous, they are happy for DLC to share this news, hoping to encourage similar gifts within and around Davidson.
“We and our neighbors have long enjoyed the varied wildlife — birds, deer, foxes, box turtles, and even a marmot — supported by the undeveloped land. We want future generations to have that opportunity as well,” the donors said.
“Working with the landowners to preserve this special property was pure joy,” said Dave Cable, DLC’s volunteer director of land conservation. “And it is profoundly moving to know that this conserved land will forever benefit the life of our town, particularly given the development pressures in Davidson.”
The project conserves about 10 acres of land that — although well suited for real estate development — will now remain forever natural. The public benefits of this project include permanent conservation of rapidly diminishing open space in the Village; natural habitats for wildlife, plants, and supportive ecosystems; and watershed and water quality. Additionally, while access to the property is limited, the conserved land is available for conservation, education, and research, including student and faculty projects associated with Davidson College.
DLC will monitor the land and work in partnership with the owners to ensure the conservation values are protected and, where possible, enhanced. The DLC also hopes to expand the conservation area and the project’s impact by working with interested neighboring property owners.
A conservation easement is a common legal tool that permanently conserves land. Each easement is unique to the protected property, tailored to the needs of the landowner and to the conservation values of the property. The landowner maintains ownership of the land and, by the easement, promises to keep the land in its natural condition. The easement is held by a land trust, in this case DLC, which promises to monitor and protect the conservation terms of the easement forever. Conservation easements are permanent and recorded in the land records.
The Davidson Lands Conservancy, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit land trust that works with willing landowners to save land in the Davidson, North Carolina, area to preserve a healthy, natural environment for future generations. For more information about DLC’s mission or creating a conservation easement, visit DavidsonLands.org or call 704-892-1910.
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