What does land conservation have to do with providing clean water? Where does your water…
Home to rolling pastures, old barns, historic homes, and rural churches, the Marks Creek watershed area offers a striking contrast to nearby bustling Raleigh. TLC first identified the historic rural landscape as a priority area for conservation in the late 1990’s. To date, TLC has completed 32 projects in the Marks Creek area, protecting a total of 2,716 acres across Wake and Johnston Counties. Many of these projects could not have been done without the dedicated support of Pat McCullers.
Pat is one of TLC’s longest-serving volunteers and a steadfast community advocate in the Marks Creek priority area. She has championed the protection of farms, open space, and limits on uncontrolled development for over twenty years. Having lived her entire life in Shotwell Village, an unincorporated rural community in eastern Wake County, Pat knows firsthand about the uniqueness of Marks Creek Township.
“We want people to understand this is a unique area, and it behooves us all to ensure that it is protected,” she shared.
Development in this region has continued at a rapid pace, with the nearby towns of Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon being some of the fastest growing towns in the state. While this growth brings important economic and social benefits to the Triangle, it also increases pressure on natural resources and underscores the need for a delicate balance. Through the Marks Creek Rural Lands Initiative, TLC and its partners have worked to catalyze land protection in this area, aiming to conserve significant cultural and natural resources, connect the community through corridors and trails, and preserve scenic landscape views.
Pat was first introduced to TLC in 2008 through Betty Brandt Williamson, daughter of Sarah and Bailey Williamson. In 2013, following the passing of both parents, Betty Brandt and her sister Sally donated land owned by their parents to TLC as part of a bargain sale. In 2016, TLC formed a Williamson advisory board to gather community input during the Williamson Preserve planning process. Because the land lies within Shotwell Village, Betty Brandt requested that Pat serve on the advisory board. Today, the property is open to the public and includes trails as well as active farms as the Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, honoring the Williamsons and their wish that the land never be developed.
“Bailey Williamson tried to tell people in the 1970s, when I was at William Peace University, over 53 years ago, to put your land in conservation,” Pat recalled. “What bothers me is that a lot of people in Raleigh, who sold the properties that their parents and grandparents had, can no longer afford to live or own land in Wake County.”
Pat's property in the Marks Creek area was classified as a century farm in 2024 by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. SM McCullers’ Farm is one of approximately 2,000 farms in the state that have been in continuous family ownership for 100 years. These farms are recognized for their enduring contributions to North Carolina’s rich agricultural heritage. Pat is one of the few Black landowners in the state with this recognition.
“Acquiring the SM McCullers’ farm as a century farm 2024 was an honor for me,” she said. “We’re very fortunate that our ancestors loved us, adored us, enough to make sure that we were able to vote. That we were landowners after the Civil War.”
Pat wants to encourage people, especially young people, to look beyond the instant gratification that often comes with selling land to developers.
“I love Triangle Land Conservancy because TLC is a fighter for what is right — preserving the lands, preserving the water, conserving them, and placing things in conservation in perpetuity,” she concluded. “I get chills when I think about that.”
