An integral part of Woods and Waters Land Trust since 2014, conservationist Mary Margaret Lowe’s love of our region’s natural spaces runs deep.
“My husband and I have always been interested in conservation and nature. I was a Girl Scout, and Eugene [Lacefield] is an Eagle Scout. We have spent many vacations camping and hiking all over the US, Canada, and Europe. WWLT' s mission to preserve our native Kentucky wildlands is close to our hearts.
“WWLT connects people to nature through preserving land and waterways in perpetuity. WWLT has many events for folks of all ages to engage with the natural world” Mary Margaret says.
Mary Margaret is an active member of the Woods and Waters Land Trust board, serving as secretary, and is the chair of the Performance Excellence Committee. An essential role of her committee is to lead the lengthy process of Land Trust Alliance reaccreditation, which signals the organization’s commitment to managing permanent land conservation in the Lower Kentucky River Watershed. To maintain accreditation, The Woods and Waters Land Trust Performance Excellence Committee reviews protocols and records annually and, every 5 years, provides extensive documentation to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. Earlier in 2022, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission held a public comment period and conducted a thorough review of Woods and Waters Land Trust’s policies and programs. Woods and Waters Land Trust then underwent a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to being awarded renewal of this distinction.
Mary Margaret’s dedication to the natural world was in the news in 2019, when she and Eugene donated 328 acres in Henry County to the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves to create the Drennon Creek State Nature Preserve. That same year, they received the Governor's Natural Area Stewardship Award for their 40 years of caretaking the land.
Mary Margaret and Eugene purchased the land in 1978 and plan to continue living on a 13-acre parcel there. Among this property’s charming features are Drennon Creek, which is a tributary to the Kentucky River; the native and endangered Braun’s rockcress (Boechera perstellata) and globe bladderpod (Physaria globosa); and several rare mussel species.
“Eugene still goes out almost every day to battle invasive plant species, such as bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, wintercreeper, etc. We hope that other folks hear our story and realize that they, too, can become involved in land conservation,” Mary Margaret says.
Mary Margaret is also on the board for the Kentucky Land Trusts Coalition and the Southeast representative to Terrafirma RRG, a nonprofit insurance company that helps protect land trusts who are members of the Land Trust Alliance.
Mary Margaret’s favorite native tree: Bur Oak tree (Quercus macrocarpa)
Favorite native herbaceous plant: Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)
Favorite native insect: Bumble bees (Bombus pennsylvanicus)—and she notes that while honey bees (Apis mellifera) are not native, “We'd be lost without them.”
Favorite native mollusc: Salamander Mussel (Simpsonaias ambigua)
Favorite native amphibian: Spring peeper frog (Pseudacris crucifer)
Favorite native bird: Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
Favorite native mammal: Coyote (Canis latrans)
