Eastern Rowan County farmers Ezra and Marian Gilliam are being featured on the Web site for the Land Trust Alliance, the national umbrella organization for land trusts throughout the United States. The Gilliams voluntarily donated a conservation easement on their 75-acre farm to the LandTrust for Central North Carolina in 2008. Based on LandTrust research, this is only the second voluntary conservation easement donation made by a minority landowner in the state of North Carolina. The story about the Gilliam’s donation can be found at www.landtrustalliance.org/community/Regions/southeast/success-stories/gilliam/.
The story will also be in rotation on the Land Trust Alliance homepage at http://www.lta.org.
“We are extremely proud that the Gilliams’ conservation easement donation is receiving national recognition,” says Jason Walser, executive director of the LandTrust. “Not only is the donation an important moment for minority landowners across the state, it is also an incredible testament to a history of respect and stewardship for family land. Ezra and Marian’s efforts to conserve their farm, which has sustained their family for almost 90 years, required foresight, perseverance and courage. It was another great milestone for a great family, and an unforgettable project for the LandTrust for Central North Carolina.”
For more information, call Andrew Waters at the LandTrust at 704-647-0302 or e-mail him at andrew@landtrustcnc.org.