TLC Wheels Vehicle Program | Getting Around NC Preserves

There are a lot of tools I use for my job. I use an app on my phone to give me directions to our conserved properties. I use an orange vest to be visible in the field (not to mention the pockets!). I use a tablet to take photos and notes of our conservation easement property boundaries. And I use maps and a compass to navigate my way through forests and fields. TLC’s trusty Subaru Outback is one tool that I use to get myself from our office in Durham out to the thousands of acres of land that TLC protects across the Triangle Region. I don’t ever have to worry about it—it just works. My phone loses a signal, my tablet’s battery dies, sometimes I forget my vest, but the Subaru has never once let me down. A TLC member donated our current Subaru about ten years ago when she upgraded to a newer model. Since then it’s been TLC’s field car, getting us though muddy roads and downtown Raleigh traffic just the same. I keep the tank full, change the oil when needed, and keep rolling along. We keep the car in good working order--but one thing we hadn’t sprung for in a while was a car wash. Rather, we had tried to wash it, but there was so much sap and mud caked onto the car that your average gas station drive through car wash just wasn’t going to cut it. Everybody at TLC was incredibly excited to hear that Johnson Subaru of Cary signed on to sponsor several events like TLC’s recent Wild Ideas for Birds and Bees and the forthcoming Wild Ideas for Farms and Food as well as the grand opening of Brumley Forest Nature Preserve in Orange County in Spring 2017. The Stewardship Team immediately asked the good folks at Johnson Subaru for a cherry on top of this Subaru sundae: "Can we get a car wash, too?" Their answer was yes. Then we celebrated.

Kyle and I had a great time hosting staff from Johnston Subaru for a day in the field. They got to see how we maintain our open nature preserves by installing maps and interpretative signage at public trail heads, and they got to see how we protect water quality at a conserved property near Sharron Harris Reservoir. As we wrapped up the field day and headed back to Cary, Kyle and I were ready for what could only be described the most exciting 5 minutes of any job I’ve ever had. As our sap-crusted, muddy Outback pulled up to the carwash, I heard one attendant yell to the other: “This one’s gonna need a little extra TLC.” Dang right, it will. Fortunately, I was able to film our complimentary car wash at the Car Wash Lodge. Check out the videos to join us on this exciting ride and see the dramatic results of the wash. Our Subaru Outback has helped TLC do its work on a day-to-day basis for about 10 years years. We are grateful to Johnson Subaru of Cary for their continued support.

About the Author:

Laura Stroud

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