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Earlier in the year, an anonymous donor approached Three Rivers Land Trust seeking to conserve two different properties in Montgomery and Randolph counties, totaling 149 acres, each with unique characteristics.

Despite the differing features that each property holds, they now have one major quality in common: on Oct. 13 both properties were conserved by Three Rivers Land Trust.

In Montgomery County, the 88 acres of land has more than ¾ of a mile of river frontage on the Little River. Found in this stretch of river are Eastern Creekshell and Eastern Lampmussels, two rare
species of mussels. Also on this property is a mature hardwood forest with a diverse understory featuring black cohosh and wild comfrey, both of which produce beautiful blooms.

The land owner worked with Three Rivers Land Trust to conserve an additional 61 acres in Randolph County. Covered in mature hardwoods with rocky outcrops, this property has a unique
find — an occurrence of Oneflower Bedstraw (Gallium uniflorum). Oneflower Bedstraw is rare in
this region, in fact, it is the only occurrence in Randolph County of that particular — making it a
county record.

TRLT Associate Director Crystal Cockman reflected that, “We are so happy that the anonymous
donor approached us with the same goals as our organization: to conserve land for future generations. These properties are important to conserve because of their ecological value due to the rare species on the properties and unique natural communities.”

“Our mission at TRLT is to protect and conserve land in the Piedmont and Sandhills, and being
able to conserve these properties in Montgomery and Randolph counties helps us achieve just
that. We are so grateful to work with the anonymous donor who wanted to conserve these lands
for perpetuity,” said Travis Morehead, executive director of TRLT.

These conservation projects were made possible in part by a contribution from Fred and Alice
Stanback.

To learn more about how to conserve your own property, contact Cockman at 704-647-0302 or crystal@threeriverslandtrust.org.

To become a member and support TRLT in their conservation mission, contact Nicky Black, membership and events coordinator, at 704-647-0302 or nicky@threeriverslandtrust.org.