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David Maybank Warder Conservation Fund

@davidmwarderconservationfund

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The David Maybank Warder Conservation Fund honors David’s legacy by working to protect the natural world he loved so much.

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David’s legacy will be the conservation effort made possible by the David Maybank Warder Conservation Fund. Thank you for the love and support. by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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10 months ago

We moved home at the end of May. Despite the ongoing punch list, I am finding space for my mind and body to create outside of our home.
As I look back it is clear my time these last five months has been deeply influenced by David.
Being outdoors for long periods of time and spending time with people that I have not seen has been a privilege. From major garden projects at home and visiting and tending to the garden at Magnolia, two short trips with close friends over the summer, hosting friends for the weekend who have supported me/us during impossible days in March 2025 and well beyond, celebrating Reid’s birthday and Cliffie’s birthday, attending @thehopesummit_charleston to meet people and learn all that I can about the natural world from the best, making new friends in my 5 and 11 year old neighbors, committing to working on my cardiovascular health after long pause because of physical and emotional reasons, following Lowcountry Land Trust and David’s fund as you all continue to pour into it, and now preparing for a speaking engagement about The David Maybank Warder Conservation Fund and my journey with gardening, and the gifts (a pair of owls live in the trees at our home) and feeling of connection to David when I am in nature. Also I am still enjoying the day to day of putting together a house we love, so all feel welcome and comfortable when they cross the threshold, and of course taking care of Luce, with adventures most days!

Mixed with all of this is waves and waves of grief and heart ache that swallow me whole, for a 1000 different reasons, that are too intense to share, so I absorb, process, rest, and carry on.
It has been very full and intentional 5 months.

David’s fund is at $182,920 and growing. Wow, my heart truly feels the impact that David’s love of nature is making in the world.
Thank you all for your continued love, support, messages and encouragement. The TCU Kappa family continues to donate and every gift surprises me!

I hold on to the belief that when we are reunited with David, it will feel like no time has passed, but for now, he is the light that guides me in most decisions each day.
Thank you David🤍🪶 by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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16 hours ago

Happy 4th birthday to our Luce, David’s baby Luce! David chose you and brought you home to our family, and we are forever grateful.

Thank you for the love, comfort and humor you bring to all of our lives.

Loving and caring for our animals is a powerful bridge to the natural world. We cannot speak to animals in our language but we are as connected to them as we are to most anything.
Our animals are loyal and innocent and depend on us for safety and protection, just like the birds, critters, trees, water…. The natural world cannot speak in our language but they need our protection, and the comfort they provide is bigger than we can comprehend. We continue to grow David’s fund for the natural world that he loved and needed. We all need… Happy Birthday baby girl, we feel your human Papa in your spirit every day. 🤍🪶 by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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16 days ago

Happy belated birthday to you Frank! Your family made a donation to David’s fund in honor of you and your special day. Thank you for sharing this photo on your day, in your response to my bday text. I feel David knows nature is an important and peaceful place for you.
May this year be filled with connection, love and meaning…. and for me the natural world is where I find all of these hopes and dreams.
Xoxo🤍🪶

@herestoyouofficial @frankinthesalt taken in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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17 days ago

Pouring so much love into our home to create habitat for all the critters of the earth. Thank you @fell_fields for suggesting fruit trees! I have wanted a pomegranate tree since 1986 when I picked one at my friend Jenny Williamson’s farm in Darlington SC and ate it in the garden. A memory seared in my brain. Thank you Reid for being on this renovation home journey with me and making me laugh so hard at @brownswoodnursery Friday.

Welcome to 216 pomegranate, persimmon, meyer lemon,fig, blueberry, blackberry, pumpkin, joe pye, white cloud, bee balm, mountain mint, helenium, camphorweed, salvia coral, endless summer hydrangeas (not native but ok to mix and beautiful) cone flowers, gaura, white cloud muhly grass, aster, northern sea oats, campfire marshmallow, salvia, black eye susan, autumn fern, boxwood, lavender, swamp milkweed, hello yellow milkweed and all the other NATIVE plants that have our little town farm buzzing with activity from dawn to dusk.

Plant native and enjoy the dopamine rush of seeing your garden bring life and home to the beauty of mother nature and her gifts.

David would love all of this and would definitely be pushing for a chicken coup🤍🪶🤍🪶

What life is your garden supporting? Fall planting is close (we actually fall planted this weekend all of the trees). Never too late to rethink your space!

* must work on soft landing for oak tree in backyard. Stay tuned.👩‍🌾🥸

@homegrownnationalpark @margaret.renkl @monteparsonsgaillard
@rootsandshootsnursery
@lowcountrylandtrust
@heathercookantiques
@fell_fields
@marsh_project
@hamlinokelley
@chs_hort
@laura_or_laurie taken in Charleston, South Carolina by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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2 months ago

We received a gift to David’s fund in memory of Pope Babcock. Thank you to Luke, a friend of Reid’s from Woodberry Forest, and your family for honoring Pope and David by supporting the David Maybank Warder Conservation fund.

Pope, the son of Anne and Bruce Babcock of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was born in New York City on November 27, 1973, and he and his family lived there until 1989, when they moved to Winston-Salem. Pope had two brothers, Luke and Thomas. He graduated from St. Bernard’s School in New York City, Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, and Duke University (1996).

Pope had a wide range of interests, the strongest of which included the ocean and surfing, international travel and foreign cultures, and individual responsibility as reflected in citizenship and human relations. He cared a great deal for people – friends, acquaintances, and strangers – and strove for fairness in his life and the lives of others. by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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2 months ago

Remember the Lowcountry Land trust spring auction? You all donated and purchased 5 unique items/experiences as a fundraiser for the David Maybank Warder Conservation fund and here are the photos from one of those incredible experiences.

On June 21st Anne and Lauren enjoyed a full 6 hour experience @creekclaypottery making pottery, glazing, using indigo to dye linens and cutting from a flower farm in McClellanville.
They had a late lunch/ early supper @t.w.grahams following their unique adventure.

We love reading how much fun was had and wanted to pass along the joy.

“Thank you so much for an absolutely wonderful day. Lauren and I couldn’t stop talking about it!! I am so glad we could do it for such a good cause and at the same time spend such a lovely day with you. It was so inspiring and you truly have a passion for creating. Thank you for sharing it with us. Your students are so lucky to have you! McClellanville definitely found a spot in our hearts! Such a great adventure so close to home🤍”

We certainly feel David’s fund is important work and hope to continue fund raising in his name and spirit.

Thanks again to all who participated. Stay tuned and please share our work as you feel called to do so.

We love you David and you inspire us to do better every day.

Sending special love to all David’s friends and our friends who are starting a new chapter. New school year, new college, new year of college, new job.
We are cheering for you, always. You are not alone and no one is looking for perfection.
Always invite a friend on walk, always.
🤍🪶

@lowcountrylandtrust @creekclaypottery taken in Charleston, South Carolina by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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2 months ago

Found myself at Dick’s sporting goods this am, burning the clock until 10am when I could return my inlaws xfinity items that they do not need anymore.
Parents and children were hustling through the aisles of Dicks, buying gear for the start of school. And then I walked past the youth football gear aisle.
My body felt heavy and my heart ached with great pain, as my breathing became labored. The memories poured out of my heart and the longing to be surrounded by my boys, choosing gear, negotiating selections and finally checking out with three bags of big league chew and all the safety gear we needed for a new season. I swear I would move mountains to go back to the days of fall football with my boys.
I miss it. I miss David. I miss the anticipation, love and belief I had in each of the boys. I miss their belief in themselves and their teammates.
This is fall. David loved nature and he loved sports. He loved football.
And I love David, Reid and Clifton and big Reid.
🤍🪶 by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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2 months ago

Way to go @margosmiith! I loved joining your Mom @creekclaypottery and @colleen768 for a visit to @angeloakpreserve and filling out the @lowcountrylandtrust survey. These visits to Angel Oak support efforts to qualify this exciting project for grant support.
Margo, I loved seeing you as the face of Lowcountry Land trust today. Keep up the amazing work and thank you!
https://lowcountrylandtrust.org/angel-oak-preserve/the-protected-path-to-the-angel-oak-preserve/ taken in Angel Oak Tree by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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3 months ago

Luce and I visited the NEWLY OPENED Old Town Creek County Park @charlestoncountyparks and we loved it. Great for all ages. Walking trails, a beautiful park with kids to play, water fountains for all (🐶), lots of shade.
Well done all! I am so inspired by Emily Simmons Ravenel and her daughter Emily Ravenel Farrow who gifted this property to serve as a place of learning, reflection and public enjoyment. We loved seeing @lowcountrylandtrust and @historiccharlestonfoundation partnering in this great work.
It is an 8 minute drive from home, plenty of parking.
I longed for my three boys to be playground age, sweating and asking me to push them on the swing, higher and faster.
Invite a friend for a walk, or enjoy the quiet, shade covered paths alone, with nature humming all around.
A beautiful white feather greeted us mid walk. Thankful.
Let us know if you go!
🤍🪶 by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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3 months ago

Moving back into our home has taken a lot of grace, strength and time. So many boxes were quickly put into storage 2 years ago, after David and I spent the summer at Greystone. I had no idea our lives would be completely different when it was time to unpack.
Unpacking, sorting, and moving into the new spaces of a familiar but reimagined home has been a real challenge these last few weeks.
The punch list is very much active, as I feel it is my job to dot every “i” and cross every “t” before the job ends and all move on. This is the business side of renovations and moving.

The emotional side is, David is everywhere in the boxes and memories. So beautiful, and happy, engaging, adorable… my precious David. Emotions ebb and flow, every. single. day.

A dear college friend reached out to me a few days ago to ask for our address. He and his wife want to donate, again, to David’s fund. He wanted me to know they were late on their annual giving but it was on the way.
His text took my breath away.
It meant so much, because they have not forgotten David.
The move has taken a lot of physical and emotional energy and time on social media has been far less. With that comes my guilt of “not taking care of David” and it is really heavy to feel this way. Only God knows the amount of time I think of David daily, is more than anything else… but I still feel like I am not doing enough if I am not actively engaged with his fund.
So the donation text without prompting, and pictures of feathers, check ins and hellos mean so much. Even if I am choosing inward right now, the love means so much.
Another friend assured me this weekend, that the multiple days I woke at 6am to garden at 216 are a deep connection to David, and I am honoring him with the hours spent in nature, planting for all the creatures of this life. David is with me.
I have unpacked stationary and look forward to writing thank you notes on behalf of David’s fund.

I pray David, Clifton, Reid and each of you reading this post believes, like David did, as an innocent 6th grader all of these great things about yourself, and so much more!
You are loved, forever and always.
Thank you all for continuing to love David🤍🪶 by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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4 months ago

David is with us all the time. Photographs are definitely a gift. Thankful for every single second with our boy.
🤍🪶 by @davidmwarderconservationfund

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5 months ago