Congratulations to Piedmont Regional Greenway, Winner of our 2008 “Vote for Land” sponsored by Patagonia and Great Outdoor Provision Co. » MORE INFO
10% of Sales Donated to LOCAL LAND TRUSTS: |
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No Purchase neccessary. Please confirm membership or join MULEteam at register. It’s FREE!Free gifts from our sponsors when you join a land trust in our shop on June 7
while supplies last
What is a Land Trust?
A land trust/conservancy is a nonprofit organization that actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in direct land transactions. Primarily the purchase or acceptance of donations of land or conservation easements. There are 23 land trusts in North Carolina working to save the places you love by protecting our ecological diversity, water quality and open space.
A Word on Land Trust Day
Back in the early 70’s when we got started in the outdoor outfitting business, we gave little thought to availability of open spaces for hiking, paddling, running and biking. Pick up a map, match the trip to available time, and go. Over time, those great trips lost some of their character, and the joy in the outings diminished. Viewscapes became cluttered with new development as farmers planted septic tanks for homes instead of agricultural crops; shopping centers grew out of pastures; unofficial “trails” along streams were posted; access to public waters closed.
In 1992 when the first Saturday in June was designated “National Trails Day,” we wanted to do something to celebrate the value of all kinds of “muscle powered” trails. And, we wanted to give something back to one of the cornerstones of our outdoor clothing and equipment business, a self imposed “earth tax,” if you will. We settled on a donation of 10% of sales receipts on National Trails Day in all our Great Outdoor Provision Co. stores. We chose local land trusts as the beneficiary as they acquire land for protection thru purchase in the open real estate market or by gift, thereby guaranteeing that the most endangered lands of greatest importance to local communities and regions are protected. Further, land trusts manage “conservation easements,” where landowners donate development rights to their land in order to protect the land’s natural qualities and take advantage of federal and state tax benefits. Often these benefits allow landowners and their heirs to keep land open and undeveloped. Lots of value for the health of the community with very low overhead cost makes for a highly efficient contribution.
That first year we raised a little over $14,000. Since our Land Trust Day in support of National Trails Day started, we have raised over $225,000 for land trusts here in North Carolina. Once again, we are pushing other retailers to join us, with whatever percentage their businesses can afford, in order to maximize the moneys raised and the open spaces saved. We are proud of our stewardship, and ask you to support our efforts by making purchases in one of our stores, or those of one of the other retailers that have joined our efforts, on June 7, 2008. Let’s keep the joy in those all important trips on our local trails.
Tom Valone, Founder
Great Outdoor Provision Co.
Related Links
- National Trails Day
- NC Birding Trail
- Leave No Trace
- Sierra Club
- Nature Conservancy
- Conservation Trust for North Carolina
- The Western North Carolina Alliance
- High Country Conservancy
- Land Trust for Central N.C.
- Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
- N.C. Coastal Federation
- The Wilderness Society
- Assoc. for Preservation of Eno River Valley
- Tar River Land Conservancy
- Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition
- Piedmont Environmental Alliance
