The First Steps

When I saw the for sale sign go up on Hubert Graham two weeks ago, I knew I had to do something or I would regret it. Born and raised in Colorado, I have first hand experience of watching the breathtaking natural scenery around me be stripped for the sake of “progress”. I saw an outpouring online of concern about the destruction of our forest and the incessant development happening around us. It helped to know that I wasn’t alone in how I felt, and that has steeled my resolve to take the first steps.

When I moved to Tega Cay more than five years ago, my friends and family back home would ask me what I thought about it out here. I would tell them that the rolling hills and dense foliage reminded me a lot of towns in the foothills of the Rockies. I have really come to love our little town, and I would much rather have a little piece of nature left for my kids to play on and in than another tire shop or more empty business offices.

I am starting this non-profit with the goal of working with local and national land conservatorships to purchase the land on Hubert Graham and create a stewardship for the nature therein. How does this all work? I will get into the knitty gritty in future posts, but essentially, the goal would to be to raise enough money in tandem with a land conservatorship acting as a financial steward in the purchase of the 25.92 acres on Hubert Graham. By working with land conservatorships, we can keep this area natural in perpetuity. Green Spaces Tega Cay will work solely on this goal for now, with the focus expanding to all outdoor spaces in Tega Cay in the future.

If we go at this alone, each household in Tega Cay proper would need to raise roughly $1250 to purchase the land outright. This where a financial steward comes in. They can help match dollar for dollar, and help with the legality of the land being purchased by Green Spaces. I know that I am reaching for the literal pie in the sky. I hope we can make this happen, but if it does not bare fruit, all money raised will be given to the city with the specific earmark of going towards the parks, trails, and public waterfronts.

I will continue to post updates and answer questions in this journal. Thank you for being here. - Mo (Maureen)