Following her passion for environmental preservation, Gwendolyn Lacy joined the Land Conservancy in 2004, becoming its first employee. In the 13 years since, she’s led initiatives to save land from development and create robust trails.
Lacy was inspired, in part, by her family’s farm in Delaware, which she visited often as a child. When the land came under threat of being developed, something clicked. “That experience made me realize that we really need to do more. Nothing, no matter how much you think you’ve protected it, [is safe]. You have to have a legal document,” she says.
Lacy briefly pursued a career in law after earning her juris doctor degree. She used that experience to benefit her drive for conservation. “Having the legal background enables me to look at how we can draft an agreement of sale, what are the contingencies, and how we make it work for everyone,” she says.
When the Landenberg resident started, the conservancy had protected 98 acres. Today, it’s about to surpass 1,000. “Find your passion, and then just go for it. The rest will follow,” Lacy says.
She is proof of that.
