What We Do - Piedmont Land Conservancy

Over 30,000 acres protected

Protecting Land Now and for the Future

Since 1990, PLC has protected over 30,000 acres of land, completing over 200 land protection projects. These protected areas include:

9,800 acres added to state parks, turned into nature preserves or now otherwise designed as places to hike, bike, fish and connect with nature.
7,600 of farmland protected from development. Change may come, but these acres will remain dedicated to agriculture.
10,600 acres of land, adjacent to water resources, now stewarded to protect the water quality of our region.

North Carolina’s Piedmont is a special place, with its scenic landscape of rolling hills, abundant rivers and streams, productive farms, diverse forests, historic communities, and a myriad of state and local parks and trails showcasing some of our region’s most iconic natural places.

Piedmont Land Conservancy’s purpose is to protect these special places to help ensure clean water for our communities, habitat for our wildlife, locally grown food, parks and trails, and other places for people to connect with nature.

How PLC Protects Land

Conservation easements are the most common tool PLC uses to protect the land. They are voluntary legal agreements that help landowners permanently protect their family lands from future intensive development and subdivision. Conservation easements preserve private ownership and also preserve the natural characteristics of family land. They also offer potential estate and income tax benefits. Conservation easements are negotiable documents that match owners’ property-use needs with long term benefits to their community.

Other Methods

PLC uses a variety of flexible tools, depending on landowner interests and the conservation values of the land. Other methods include the donation of land by individuals and the purchasing of land in some circumstances if funding allows. We also work with state and local partners to make a larger impact through joint conservation efforts, such as our work expanding state and other parks.

If you are interested in learning more or have questions about protecting your land, contact us.