Blue Ridge Conservancy Honors Michael and Michelle Leonard with the Stanback Conservation Leadership Award

On October 10, against the stunning backdrop of the mountains at sunset, Blue Ridge Conservancy presented Michelle and R. Michael Leonard the second-ever Stanback Conservation Leadership Award at an intimate ceremony at Gideon Ridge Inn. This award is named for Fred and Alice Stanback, premiere conservationists in North Carolina and the Southeast. The inaugural honor was given to John and Faye Cooper in 2017 for their efforts to preserve the historic cultural landscape of Valle Crucis.

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Leila Jackson
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Blue Ridge Conservancy Unveil Camp Catawba Sign

Today in Blowing Rock, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Blue Ridge Conservancy unveiled a sign commemorating Camp Catawba and the work of Dr. Vera Lachmann. Installed near the trailhead of the Middle Fork Greenway in front of the Tanger Outlets, the sign outlines the history of the boys’ summer camp, which operated on a farm in Blowing Rock from 1944 to 1970. This one of a kind sign, funded by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, was fabricated by local metalsmith Aaron Bishop of Snake Mountain Iron Works.

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Leila Jackson