Triangle Land Conservancy: Member Spotlight February 2008


	Triangle Land Conservancy 1101 Haynes Street Suite 205 Raleigh, NC 27604 919.833.3662

Member Spotlight - February 2008

Pearson Stewart

For many people, Pearson Stewart’s name is synonymous with Triangle Land Conservancy. And that association is a powerful endorsement for potential TLC supporters. “So many of the Triangle’s leaders over the years have said to me: If Pearson is part of Triangle Land Conservancy, then it must be a very good organization,” says Kevin Brice, President & CEO of TLC.

Pearson Stewart, who served as President of TLC between 1986 and 1992, has devoted much of his life and work to keeping the Triangle a healthy, vibrant community.

A Boston native, Pearson graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in city planning. He and his wife, Jean, moved to Chapel Hill in the 1950s and Pearson worked as a planner for Fayetteville and Hickory. After a move to Warwick, Rhode Island, where Pearson became the planning director, the couple returned to Chapel Hill in 1958 when Pearson became the vice president of planning for the Research Triangle Foundation and worked there until he retired in 1990. RTP’s parklike layout – with limited building footprints and generous setbacks – became a model in urban planning.

Jean and Pearson raised two children and were active members of the community, faithfully attending Chapel Hill town council meetings and devoting hours of volunteer time to the N.C. Botanical Garden. They both shared a love of the natural world that was instilled during their childhoods in New England. “She did not like to be called a botanist, but she could identify all the plants,” Pearson fondly says of his late wife.

While working at RTP, Pearson also lobbied for the development of a regional planning commission that could address the growth pressures associated with the park. The commission ultimately became Triangle J Council of Governments, which suggested launching a regional land trust to preserve open space. Triangle Land Conservancy was born of this vision, and Pearson became the organization’s second president (following founding president David Bland).

During his tenure as President, Stewart helped the fledgling organization navigate through many of its early projects, including the acquisition of three of TLC’s most significant open preserves: White Pines, Flower Hill and Swift Creek Bluffs. He also chaired a committee that crafted a visionary plan for protecting the New Hope Creek corridor. He helped recruit new members and raised funds to pay for land acquisition, stewardship and operations. He wrote a thoughtful, witty column called “President’s Comments” that ran in Triangle Land Conservancy News. And he did all of this as a volunteer.

In a 2007 interview, Pearson recalled the meeting where the TLC board discussed the future of the White Pines area, a mountainous area on the Deep and Rocky Rivers and the most significant natural area in TLC’s six-county region. “At one of our early meetings, one of our members, Julie Moore, with the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, announced that the White Pines area was up for sale. She told us that it was imperative that it not be sold for development. And then she asked: “What are you going to do about it?” So all of us sort of sat there, and gulped, and said alright, David [Bland], go take an option on the property and we’ll see what happens. And that really started TLC.”

Pearson’s guidance continues to shape TLC’s mission today, contributing to TLC’s regional conservation planning, such as the State of Open Space reports.

“Triangle Land Conservancy began in 1983 with a group of passionate, driven founding board members,” says Kevin Brice. “As one of these board members, Pearson shared the passion, but he also brought to TLC discipline and professionalism. He instilled in TLC the importance of long-term vision and helped to create the plans to achieve our vision. Most importantly, Pearson brought to TLC his integrity and impeccable reputation.”

In honor of his contributions to conservation, Pearson received the Stanback Volunteer Conservationist Award from Conservation Trust of North Carolina in 2007. As one of TLC’s first members, who joined in 1983, Pearson agreed to represent the founding class as Class President.

In his understated way, Pearson praises TLC’s success to date, while acknowledging that the work is far from over. “It’s always been a good group, with a good staff and board,” he says. “TLC is working diligently to ensure that we save our important open spaces and natural areas for the future. We’ve done a great job of protecting open space in the Triangle, but however much we’ve done, there’s a great deal more to do.”

Member Spotlight Archives

April 2008 - Jon Stucky

March 2008 - Ken & Roz Winter

February 2008 - Pearson Stewart

January 2008 - Don Stephenson

December 2007 - Amy Mackintosh & Tom Kagan

November 2007 - Lao Rubert & Steve Schewel

October 2007 - Andrea Reusing & Mac McCaughan

September 2007 - Gail and Tommy Bridges

August 2007 - Sarah & Chris Capel

July 2007 - Karen & Ben Barker

June 2007 - Adam Meyer