Blue Ridge Conservancy Announces Hiring of David Ray as Executive Director
The Blue Ridge Conservancy Board of Trustees is excited to announce the hiring of David Ray as Executive Director. “David brings 29 years of experience in conservation, real estate, land use, fundraising, and non-profit leadership,” says Katherine Dean, Board Chair. “He is known for his integrity, his highly collaborative approach, and his deep knowledge and passion for conservation. He spent the first 14 years of his conservation career in western North Carolina, and we are delighted to welcome him back to the Blue Ridge mountains to advance BRC's mission.”
Ray has served as the Chief Conservation Officer at Lowcountry Land Trust in Charleston, SC, since 2018. He has also worked for The Nature Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and the Open Space Institute, leading or assisting in 70 land acquisition projects totaling almost 60,000 acres.
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Blue Ridge Conservancy Honors Outgoing Executive Director Charlie Brady
Blue Ridge Conservancy’s Executive Director Charlie Brady will be moving on from the Conservancy this month after eight years of exceptional, visionary leadership. BRC staff, board members, and supporters have embraced the opportunity to thank Charlie for his commitment to land conservation and leadership in the High Country. So far, over 70 people have donated to the “5500 Campaign,” raising over $150,000 for the Land Protection Acquisition Fund in Charlie’s honor.
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Boone Gorge Park Breaks Ground Thanks to a Mosaic of Funding Sources, Including the Round Up for the Greenway
Recently, there was a groundbreaking for the much-anticipated Boone Gorge Park project on the Middle Fork Greenway, attended by representatives from several of the businesses, individuals, and organizations that are making the park possible. Individual gifts, state grants, Watauga Tourism Development Authority, and the annual “Round Up for the Greenway” program have led to two contiguous miles of Greenway that are currently open to the public.
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Blue Ridge Conservancy Awarded $962,000 in Great Trails State Program Grants
Governor Josh Stein announced that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has awarded more than $11 million authorized by the General Assembly in grants to communities and nonprofits in western North Carolina from Great Trails State Program funding. Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) was awarded three grants totaling $962,000 for the Middle Fork Greenway, Northern Peaks State Trail, and the Lansing Creeper Trail Park Expansion.
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