News

Conserving Carolina kicks off fundraiser honoring Rick Merrill

Conserving Carolina director Kieran Roe talks about Rick Merrill’s legacy during the kickoff for a fund drive to build the Rick Merrill Honor Guard.

By Bill Moss, Published: August 12, 2025

Friends, family and colleagues of longtime land conservationist Rick Merrill gathered at a downtown realty office last week to kick off a fundraiser for the Rick Merrill Honor Garden, a serene sanctuary at the land conservancy he served for two decades.

The garden next to Conserving Carolina’s office on Case Street is envisioned to be a sanctuary for memories, cherishing and honoring loved ones. From the time he worked through Conserving Carolina to protect his own land in Flat Rock with a conservation easement, Merrill helped to guide much of the conservancy’s work. He served on the nonprofit’s committees for 20 years and on its board for 13, including a term as president.

“Rick’s legacy lives on in forever-protected lands that include mountain bogs, restored muskie habitat and the vast Headwaters State Forest,” the conservancy says. The circular garden honoring him will contain wood benches, stone walls and “thoughtfully curated displays of native plants.”

The fundraiser kickoff and reception was held at the Main Street office of Alan Tate/Beverly-Hanks, the realty company where Merrill worked for many years.

“For 30 plus years, Conserving Carolina has been able to help make communities in which we live better places to be, and Rick embodied that by his work for so many organizations here in town,” Beverly-Hanks President Neal Hanks said. “Certainly Conserving Carolina was his love. We too love Conserving Carolina because of what it does for Western North Carolina, making places that we live, work and play better for our residents and future generations. Rick was a very humble guy, and while all this recognition is well deserved, he would be telling us that this is about supporting Conserving Carolina and the work that they do now and into the future.

“One of the reasons that I'm so excited about this project is that it does both. It honors Rick and his hard work in the community but it also creates that evergreen opportunity for Conserving Carolina to continue to raise funds in the future, and for folks like us to honor loved ones and contribute to a great organization at the same time.”

SHIRTTAIL

For more information email sierra@conservingcarolina.org or visit weblink.donorperfect.com/cc_donate. Make a note that the gift supports the Rick Merrill Honor Garden.

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