0263-GCG-FoothillsConservancy ESG23 12-13 - Flipbook - Page 12
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
2023 Ruby Award Conservationists
of the Year
Recognizing Judy Allison, Dinny Harper Addison,
and Lee Harper Vason
Named for the late biologist, educator, and founding
2023 Ruby Award
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina board
member, Ruby Pharr, the Ruby Pharr Conservationist
of the Year Award (Ruby Award) is FCNC’s highest
honor for conservation volunteer service. This year,
Once Judy got involved, Dinny and Lee quickly joined
we are honored to announce Judy Allison, Lee Harper
the effort and things started moving very quickly to
Vason, and Dinny Harper Addison as the 2023 Ruby
organize and execute a reception at The Blowing Rock
Award recipients for their efforts and partnership in
attraction, which directly overlooks the land itself, to
raising $250,000 in the Blowing Rock community for
raise both community awareness and project funding.
FCNC’s purchase and permanent protection of the
326-acre tract of undeveloped forest land adjoining
The Blowing Rock attraction, which holds the source
of the Johns River.
“FCNC had hoped the Blowing Rock community would
become engaged and supportive, but we really
never imagined that such a beautifully orchestrated
reception was in the cards,” said Andrew Kota,
Judy, Dinny, and Lee have been devoted to
FCNC Executive Director “and, The Blowing Rock
conservation in the Blowing Rock community for
attraction was the absolute perfect location because
most of their lives. When they heard that FCNC was
the immediate view from every overlook at that
$250,000 away from meeting the fundraising goal to
attraction is the project land.”
buy the property and protect it with a conservation
easement, they organized their friends in the Blowing
Rock community, assembled a host committee, and
held a reception that would ultimately secure the
remaining funds to close the conservation deal on
the property.
“Foothills did a lot of work to 昀椀nd the $3.5
million in funding sources, and we helped
take this project to the 昀椀nish line and close
the fundraising gap,” said Judy.
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“This project and our involvement was very
synergistic. The whole was greater than the
sum of its parts. It’s so important to the life
and the future of Blowing Rock to save the
headwaters of the Johns River, the unique
communities within the forest, and the
viewshed,” said Dinny.