Over 31,000 acres protected

What We Do

Protecting Land Now and for the Future

Since 1990, PLC has protected over 30,000 acres of land, completing over 250 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.

Our Communities

Piedmont Land Conservancy primarily protects land in 9 North Carolina counties: Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Caswell, Yadkin, Forsyth, Guilford, Alamance, and Randolph. 

There are occasional exceptions where PLC completes projects ourside this region, but still close by.

We Protect Special Places

North Carolina’s Piedmont is a special place, with its scenic landscape of rolling hills, abundant rivers and streams, productive farms, diverse forests, rare species, 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, locally grown food, habitat for our wildlife, and parks, trails, and other places for people to connect with nature.

Our Four Focus Areas

Natural Areas

natural areas

Family Farms

family farms

Water Quality

water

Public Access

connecting people to nature

How We Protect 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.

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. 

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

We Connect People to Nature

  • We grow access to public lands that enable communities to benefit from and enjoy nature, whether by creating and managing our own preserves or transferring land to other caretakers like NC State Parks, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, NC Educational State Forests, towns, counties, or other partners. See the growing list of trails on PLC protected land.
  • We help people get outdoors through guided outings and educational events in nature. Check out our Events Page to join the fun.
  • We connect trail partners across the region and share with the public where to get outside through our Piedmont Legacy Trails Initiative.

We Help North Carolina Thrive

  • We work with state and local partners to make a larger impact through joint conservation efforts, such as our work expanding state and other parks.
  • We advocate for legislation that supports land conservation and the health and wellbeing of our communities.
  • We’re proud to be contributing to progress for all of North Carolina as a member of both Land for Tomorrow and The Great Trails State Coalition.

Our Story

Our Mission

Piedmont Land Conservancy protects our region’s natural lands, family farms, and waters for the benefit of all living things through land protection, stewardship of conserved spaces, and connecting people with nature.