Fall Volunteer Award Winner: Rick Merrill

Congratulations to Rick Merrill for earning the Lady Slipper Award this fall! This award highlights our outstanding volunteers at Conserving Carolina, and Rick is one of the best.

Mr. Merrill is originally from New Jersey and studied engineering at Cornell University. However, after serving as a VISTA volunteer in Western North Carolina, he fell in love with the land and his future wife, JoAnne. They both shared a deep appreciation for the mountains and waterfalls in the area and wanted to give back in some way.

Rick pursued a career in real estate which granted him copious amounts of experience in land management and acquisition. In 2004, he contacted Conserving Carolina to learn more about the process of donating the development rights of land via a conservation easement. This kicked off a wonderful relationship between Rick and Conserving Carolina that we are grateful for to this day.

Rick is indispensable to Conserving Carolina. He has served on the board of directors for the past 13 years and various committees for even longer. Some of these include the HR, Land, Board Development, and Sustainability committees. Rick frequently counsels the board on matters related to land acquisition and overall strategy. In the future, he hopes to see the Conserving Carolina staff grow in both size, diversity, and self-sustainability.

Seeing his hard work payoff inspires Rick to continue his land conservation efforts. He is particularly passionate about protecting water quality. In one instance, Rick had less than a month to negotiate a deal for a tract of land that the Fish and Wildlife Commission had identified as a muskie breeding ground. Muskie, or muskellunge, is a native fish that has been in decline due to river pollution. Despite the challenge, Rick looks back on this memory with pride and as one of his many conservation achievements throughout western North Carolina.

In his free time, Rick serves with the Inter-faith Assistance Ministry and the Flat Rock Historical District (serving as chairman over multiple terms). He enjoys gardening, growing tomatoes, and turning bowls with a lathe. Thank you, Rick, for everything you do for Conserving Carolina!