A hoped for abundance of the harvest was not to be this year at Old Orchard Creek Farms in Lansing as the late spring freeze killed all the blueberries, so instead a glorious fall day brought a celebration of the land, it’s heritage and future.

Folks gathered from near and far on Sunday at the farm to celebrate with landowners Walter Clark and Johnny Burleson the preservation and continuation of what is known as the Swansie Shepherd blueberry farm. Clark and Burleson are being honored this Friday with the 2007 Minnette C. Duffy Landscape Preservation Award for their work.

The Duffy Award is North Carolina’s highest award for the preservation, restoration or maintenance of landscapes, gardens, streetscapes or grounds related to historic structures. It is presented by the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina and includes a $500 stipend. The award will be presented at the North Carolina Museum of History following a reception at the State Capitol in Raleigh.

Myrick Howard, president of the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina, was among the guests at Sunday’s gathering. He said cultural heritage and land preservation go hand in hand. People talk about the “green-ness” of today’s efforts in creating a better world, Howard said, and historic preservation is a green effort. “Take existing resources and use them, love them, and pass them on. They’re authentic. They’re the real thing.” He congratulated Clark and Burleson for their efforts and said what they had accomplished with Old Orchard Creek Farms is a great embodiment of conservation and preservation.

Clark joked that it was a mistake to change the name of the farm because to local people it will always be known as the Swansie Shepherd blueberry farm. Shepherd planted 3,000 blueberry bushes, he said, and people would come from miles around every year to pick blueberries, some of the largest they had ever seen. When Clark and Burleson bought the property several years ago, they decided to continue the tradition. Unfortunately, there were no blueberries to pick this year, but hopes are for many good harvests in years to come.

Clark said he and Burleson discovered the farm about seven years ago while visiting Ashe County and they thought it would be wonderful to own and operate a place like that. Two years later, they were back in the county and found out that the farm was for sale. They decided to purchase it and restore the farm and the historic home.

They are only temporary stewards of the land, Clark said, as someday they will pass it on to others. Not long after purchasing the farm, they learned about the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust and how it helps protect land, so they contacted the organization and placed the Old Orchard Creek Farms into a conservation easement.

Clark’s contact with James Coman, executive director of the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, developed into more than just membership status. Clark joined the board of directors and was recently named deputy director to succeed Coman upon his retirement.

Also present at the reception Sunday in Lansing, Coman congratulated Clark and Burleson for their efforts and their support, and offered a brief history of the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust. The organization celebrated 10 years in existence this year, he said, with more than 70 easements currently held and another 17 to 18 expected by the end of the year. Coman said that by early next year, he expects the land preservation total to exceed 10,000 acres. Potential easements include sites along the Watauga/Wilkes county line, a farm in Wilkes and land in Pond Mountain.

The Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust is a cultural protection organization that works through land protection and preservation, Coman explained. Placing land into a conservation easement protects it from being cut up into small developed lots and helps landowners preserve their lands’ historic status. The land can continue to be worked while being protected from development.

Guests at the reception included many who have placed their land into conservation easements and Coman thanked them for their participation and encouraged others to consider land trust status as well as financial support of the organization.

Burleson welcomed the many guests and thanked those who participated in the reception including the caterers and musicians. Among the guests were members of the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust board of directors. Board President Bill Herring talked about the land trust and its value to the cultural heritage of North Carolina. “You only have to look around on a day like today to see why organizations such as ours are important,” he said, pointing out the beauty of the land in this glorious season.

He asked those gathered to continue their support by volunteering their time and efforts, placing land in conservation easements, and through financial contributions.

To find out more about the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, go online to www.brrlt.org. For more information about the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina, go online to www.PreservationNC.org.