The Nature Conservancy - More of Dohn Broadwell

Dohn Broadwell
Land Developer who embraces the need for undisturbed land

Water lilies, Horseshoe Lake natural area
(© TNC)

On July 22, 1998, the State of North Carolina purchased 8,000 acres of land in Bladen and Cumberland Counties. The State's purchase, from Canal Industries, Inc., was made in an area known as the Horseshoe Lake natural area. On the same day, Dohn Broadwell, a land developer from nearby Fayetteville, purchased 1,900 acres from Canal adjacent to the new State property. Though this might sound like an opportunity for a savvy developer to make a profit from being in the right place at the right time, Mr. Broadwell had something very different in mind. In fact, he knows the dollar value of the land he purchased will greatly decreased over time and he is comfortable with that fact.

Dohn Broadwell has a deep desire to see that undeveloped land in the Sandhills Region of North Carolina remains in its natural state for future generations to enjoy. In order to help make that desire a reality, Mr. Broadwell has offered to donate conservation easements to The Nature Conservancy that will eventually protect the unique natural areas on his property. He has agreed to manage the property for conservation purposes and has relinquished the right to develop it.

Mr. Broadwell has been associated with The Nature Conservancy for more than 15 years. He became active in the Horseshoe Lake transaction when the State and TNC fell short in their efforts to raise enough money to purchase all the land Canal Industries intended to sell. "It was a good time for me to open my mouth and say - let's see what we can work out," Mr. Broadwell remembered. "So I was able to buy 1,900 acres down there to add to what we already had. That supplemented the State's fund enough to buy the whole tract."

The land purchased by the State and Dohn Broadwell includes one of the country's most extensive Carolina bay complexes. These wetland depressions are found in the Coastal Plain from New Jersey to Florida, with the largest population in the Carolinas. Horseshoe Lake itself is a partially water-filled Carolina bay dominated by floating mats of vegetation, including thousands of yellow pitcher plants.

Dohn Broadwell is willing to back up his belief in the need for land conservation by committing his personal property to the effort. While not everyone can make the level of commitment Dohn made, every effort helps.