Davidson Lands Conservancy has new conservation partners, Mark and Ann Prior. In 1999 the Priors were living in a subdivision off Langtree Road and felt hemmed in as the area rapidly developed. They began to look for land where they could enjoy nature and a sense of privacy. A friend shared a listing in the Mooresville Tribune. That wasn’t the one, but a property listed underneath it caught their eye. They visited and fell in love with twelve acres in Mooresville behind Pine Lake Prep.
Since 2001 the Priors have a raised a family on this property, used it to support a border collie rescue, stewarded the land and are hoping to give Pine Lake Prep students access to the property. They have worked with the Department of Forestry and the Ag Extension to help manage the land and through these partnerships learned that this property had one of the broadest spectrum of tree species in our region. The longer they spent on their land, the more they came to think about mortality and worry about what would happen to the land after they were gone.
In 2024 the Priors began to explore land conservation and found Davidson Lands Conservancy. Mark said they asked themselves, “If we don’t save this land from bulldozers, who will? Thinking about how many species count on undeveloped land for their very survival was critical in deciding to go forward with conserving our property.” They met with Beth Wytiaz, Dave Cable and Ed Harris and said they immediately knew they’d “found their people.” In November of 2024, they closed on their conservation easement and now have the satisfaction of knowing their beautiful piece of land will remain a refuge for people and wildlife in perpetuity. Ann states it perfectly when she said, “It soothes my soul to know that even though we’re a blip, this place will remain as on oasis to showcase trees and wildlife for generations to come.” To learn more about land conservation, please visit https://davidsonlands.org/conserve-and-steward-land/.
