New housing developments, restaurants and shopping malls dot the landscape in the Wallburg area of Davidson County.

However, for those traveling the busy roads between Winston-Salem and High Point, a 167-acre tract of forested land will remain unblemished by development thanks to the family that owns it. 

The Grubbs family wanted to honor their late father John F. Motsinger Sr. by permanently conserving the property with Three Rivers Land Trust. 

“Our father loved this farm and had such a close connection to the land, we couldn’t see it be developed,” Kitty Grubbs said.  

Davidson County has more than 90,000 parcels on its tax maps.

Land Protection Specialist Kyle Shores said, “only about 1,200 of those are larger than 50 acres. Large, unfragmented land like this will be essential in providing habitat for our native wildlife. On our site visits to this tract, we saw a remarkable amount of wildlife, including deer, turkey and songbirds. With the pressure of two large cities encroaching from both sides, this land will now remain as a safe haven for species in the area.”

Three Rivers Land Trust Executive Director Travis Morehead added, “Undeveloped lands are critical to North Carolina’s native wildlife. A donated conservation easement is a very effective way to protect the habitat and those wildlife species that inhabit the parcel. We are very grateful to the Grubbs family for their foresight in conserving this property with Three Rivers Land Trust.”

The easement donation is dedicated to John F. Motsinger Sr., from his family.

The conservation project was made possible by a generous conservation easement donation by the landowners and also by the support of TRLT members and donors.

If anyone is interested in finding out how to conserve property or support Three Rivers Land Trust’s conservation mission, please contact Senior Land Protection Specialist Emily Callicutt at emily@trlt.org.