The Garden Club of America has awarded Southern Highlands Reserve founders Betty and Robert Balentine its highest honor for their work to preserve the unique biodiversity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal, one of 10 national medals awarded annually, recognizes outstanding achievement in environmental protection and maintenance of the quality of life.
The Balentines founded Southern Highlands Reserve (SHR) as a nonprofit in 2002 when they assembled 120 acres of land in western North Carolina and placed it under conservation easement to protect it from development. Over the last two decades, their vision and commitment have helped SHR become a national leader in conservation. Located at 4,500 feet on top of Toxaway Mountain, the nonprofit includes a 22-acre native plant garden, 100 acres of natural woodlands, and a new state-of-the-art greenhouse that will be the epicenter for native plant propagation in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
SHR is a founding member of the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI), a partnership of state and federal agencies, nonprofits, and private organizations working to restore the second most endangered ecosystem in the United States, the high elevation spruce-fir forests of the Southern Blue Ridge. Since 2009, SASRI has planted more than 6,000 SHR red spruce trees on public lands in three states, and the U.S. Forest Service recently commissioned the nonprofit to grow 50,000 more trees for regional restoration projects. To accommodate increased demand, SHR’s new $2.7 million greenhouse more than doubles the garden’s current propagation capacity and includes green infrastructure for water collection that can be replicated in residences and communities.
Betty has been a member of Peachtree Garden Club, Zone VIII, since 1992 and has served as its president. She is also a member and former chair of the board of advisors for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens. She advocates for the publication of works on the natural world through her participation on the Board of the Cherokee Garden Library.
Robert’s love of nature developed in his youth as an Eagle Scout, camping and hiking in the North Carolina mountains. He was inspired by his father, an avid gardener, and his mother, a member and past president of Peachtree Garden Club, and a horticulture judge for the Garden Club of America. Robert is currently chair of The Garden Conservancy and was founding president of the Southeastern Horticultural Society. He is chairman of Atlanta-based wealth management firm Balentine, where he counsels families on shaping legacies defined by purpose and philanthropy. His book, First Generation Wealth, was published in 2022.
Founded in 1913, The Garden Club of America (GCA) is a nonpartisan, issue-oriented advocate for a beautiful, healthy planet. It is a nonprofit national organization recognized for its leadership in horticulture, conservation, creative arts, historic preservation and environmental protection. Its mission is to bring its 200 member clubs together to cultivate a bond among people, plants, and the environment. The GCA member clubs consist of 18,000 club members who devote energy and expertise to projects in their communities and across the United States.
For more on GCA’s national awards, click here.