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GPC Legacy Member Highlight: Dave & Merrillyn Morris

Photo by Don Paulson

The Legacy Society at Great Peninsula Conservancy honors members who have included GPC in their estate planning to protect more forests, salmon streams, shorelines, and open space, forever. Fueled by a $20,000 match, GPC launched a Legacy Challenge to increase the impact of each legacy pledge received this year. When you submit a new legacy pledge, it will activate a $1,000 donation to support GPC’s upcoming conservation projects. We thank and welcome our newest members: GPC Board Director Dave Morris and his wife Merrillyn (Mame) Morris.

Dave’s knowledge of real estate over the past 50 years taught him that certain properties should never be developed. There is accelerated demand from buyers and developers to find properties that “could” be developed. But without perpetual protection from organizations like Great Peninsula Conservancy, there would be inevitable degradation of environmentally fragile properties.

“The legacy gift concept is one way that folks like us can carve out a portion of our overall estate—with little cost or effort—and dedicate that portion to GPC without jeopardizing other gifting priorities. In our case, we committed to a certain percentage of our portion of our family estate to go to Great Peninsula Conservancy.

The unique thing about GPC and its acquisitions of property and easements forever—the key word here is forever!—is that we live in a disposable society with respect to things and assets, and a gift of money or things can often be short lived, although enjoyed by the recipient. However, a legacy gift to GPC ensures that it will be used to help protect and preserve forever, environmentally important properties that will be appreciated by future populations years from now.

The process of finalizing our legacy gift was very simple—we contacted our attorney and cemented a commitment from our estate that will help fund special properties for the benefit of future generations.”Dave & Mame Morris