NC Couple Protects 211 Acres From Developers Forever

A retired couple in Randolph County is proving you don't have to choose between economic growth and natural beauty.

Pat and Gene Holder get offers to buy their 211-acre property about once a week. Developers see prime real estate, but the Holders see something irreplaceable: a summer haven buzzing with bees, butterflies, and songbirds thriving on native milkweed and wildflowers.

"If we don't save it, it'll be gone," Gene said. The couple bought the land over a decade ago as a retirement project for hunting and growing native plants, never imagining how critical their decision would become.

When they watched a neighbor permanently conserve their property, the Holders knew what to do. They reached out to Three Rivers Land Trust and crafted an agreement ensuring their land will remain undeveloped forever, while still keeping ownership.

"Once it's paved over to build a parking lot or apartment complex, it's never going to be this again," Pat explained. "You've lost all these wonderful resources for the wildlife as well as for the people."

Their timing couldn't be better. Between Three Rivers Land Trust and Piedmont Land Conservancy, the two main conservation groups covering nearly every Piedmont county from Virginia to South Carolina, more than 80,000 acres are now permanently protected.

The momentum is accelerating. Three Rivers conserved 2,200 acres in 2025, while Piedmont Land Conservancy protected 1,442 acres, an above-average year. Travis Morehead, executive director of Three Rivers Land Trust, already has 4,000 acres lined up to close in 2026.

The Ripple Effect

What makes this movement remarkable is that it's landowner-driven. Most people reach out to conservation groups first, asking about their options before developers can knock on their doors.

The Holders and conservation leaders agree development brings opportunities, jobs, and prosperity. But Gene, who spent his working years with no time for outdoors, understands what's at stake: "I can understand how people just lose sight of what it means to be outdoors and what's out there."

Morehead sees the growing interest in green spaces as protection for North Carolina's future. "We can't lose the character of what makes people so attracted to North Carolina, and I think it's the green spaces and outdoor recreation we have here," he said.

Pat frames it simply: "I always like to think we are not the only living inhabitants of this globe." Her husband's land might look brown and dry in winter, but come summer, it becomes a living testament to what happens when people choose preservation alongside progress.