Long-time residents of Richmond County can no doubt take a drive and point out areas that used to be wild and natural and today are developed. That’s not all bad. As the population grows, there will be a demand to turn undeveloped land into housing subdivisions and commercial developments. However there are efforts being made to be sure that some of the Tar Heel state will look just the same a century from now as it does today.
Government can’t — and probably shouldn’t — try and buy up property simply to keep it from being developed. But public-private partnerships are making headway to make sure some bit of nature remains for future generations.
One of them is administered through The Land Trust for Central North Carolina.
The Land Trust is a non-profit corporation with a volunteer Board of Directors from throughout a 10-county region that includes Richmond and Anson counties. The staff and the board work to identify important properties that should be protected and preserved. Sometimes it seeks out property owners first, and sometimes property owners come to the Land Trust.
The main thing about The Land Trust is it’s voluntary. Nobody is taking anybody’s property. It’s an agreement whereby the property owner agrees not to develop the land and the government agrees to provide some tax incentives.
Bill Webb is sold on the idea.
The Webb Farm west of Ellerbe is the first conservation easement in Richmond County arranged through The LandTrust. The easement involves 115 acres that contains both Uwharrie-type ecosystems, mountain-like streams and longleaf pines.
“I am an ardent proponent of conservation easements,” Webb said, “and would hope this easement would encourage others to do the same thing.”
The Land Trust program is still trying to gain traction in Richmond County. In Iredell County, The Land Trust has 13 properties that have either conservation easements or fee title ownership. They range in size from 29 acres to as much as 330. In Anson County, The Land Trust has four properties ranging from eight acres to 570.
“As a wildlife conservationist and habitat manager, Bill Webb is a great model and leader in conservation efforts in this area,” said Crystal Cockman, Uwharrie conservation specialist with The LandTrust. “The LandTrust is very excited to have closed its first easement in Richmond County, and couldn’t have asked for a better landowner to work with or a more ideal project,” she said.
The ability to pass down a legacy of what North Carolina ‘used to” look like to future generations is an awesome one. We hope local property owners can embrace the concept.
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