TLC E-News November 2007

November 8, 2007

Dear TLC Members and Friends,

We hope you enjoy this issue of E-News. Recycle! If you know someone else who would enjoy reading this newsletter, please forward it to them.

1. Save the Date for TLC's 25th Anniversary Gala - Friday, February 29, 2008
2. Chatham Conservation Partnership Springs to Life
3. November Members of the Month: Lao Rubert and Steve Schewel

4. Survey says...
5. More Creative Ways of Giving: Earth Share of North Carolina

6. TLC Nature Quiz

1. Save the Date for TLC's 25th Anniversary Gala - Friday, February 29, 2008

Well, we could trot out some worn-out chestnut about dancing until the cows come home, but of course, that would not make sense, because the cows are always home at Fearrington Village. You can see them grazing in the pasture in front of Fearrington's famous barn, looking quite smashing in their black and white Galloway best. But, we digress. Just think, in 25 years, TLC and its members and supporters have saved 10,000 acres of the Triangle's most important natural areas and open lands -- places you know and love like White Pines Preserve, Johnston Mill Preserve and public park land along the Deep and Little Rivers. We think that's reason enough to throw a party for our friends and supporters. We hope you can join us. Oh, it will be at the Barn at Fearrington. Hence our digression. Click here to find out more.

2. Chatham Conservation Partnership Springs to Life
On October 4, a group of 45 people breathed life into the idea of protecting Chatham County’s natural resources. TLC is among the organizations that signed a memorandum of understanding that officially launched the Chatham Conservation Partnership. The Partnership’s mission is to create a community conservation vision that builds awareness, protection and stewardship of the county's natural resources. Learn more by clicking here.

Since moving to the Triangle area to attend Duke University in the late 60s and early 70s, Lao Rubert and Steve Schewel have been dedicated advocates for social and environmental causes in the Triangle and beyond. Read more about the couple by clicking here.

Many thanks to the more than 600 TLC members and friends who took a few minutes to complete our membership survey – providing a super 15% response rate! The survey results revealed a great deal about our members and why they support TLC. The staff will be able to use that information in sharing our story with more people in the area and generating more support for TLC. A few tidbits: 80% of the survey respondents have lived in the Triangle for more than 10 years and 33% of participants learned about TLC by word of mouth (next highest choice was “other” at 20%.) See the full results by clicking here.

Through Earth Share of North Carolina, TLC is an option in Triangle United Way giving campaigns. If your company participates in a Triangle United Way campaign, please look for TLC among the list of organizations to which you can designate your contribution and consider supporting us through workplace giving. To learn about other creative ways to give to TLC, click here.

Thanks to everyone who participated in last month's Nature Quiz. In case you have forgotten the question, we asked: What is pig iron? Although we know that our readers are a clever bunch, we were still delighted by the number of people who were familiar with this obscure term and obviously use it often in every day conservations! The most creative answer came from a faithful reader in the conservation community who responded: "really tough bacon." According to our trusted Fact Checker, um, Wikipedia, "Pig iron is raw iron, the immediate product of smelting iron ore with coke and limestone in a blast furnace." Pig iron was traditionally cast into molds that resembled piglets suckling on a sow, hence the name. During the Civil War, Endor Iron Furnace on the Deep River produced pig iron for the Confederate army. Thank you to all of our readers who participated!