Born and raised on the Eastern Shore, David Turner has been a wildlife sculptor for 40 years.
His favorite subjects are the diverse and numerous creatures native to the peninsula.
“I see sculpture as a reflection of my love for nature,” Turner said. “Seeing that expanse of marsh with wildlife like deer and eagles moving through that space always inspired me.”
Turner’s favorite subjects also inspired him to design an updated logo for the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust and to permanently protect Corratock, a historic property on the Chesapeake Bay.
The logo redesign started with an update for the land trust’s 20th anniversary in 2023.
David Turner quickly sketched a draft logo during a regular board meeting.
Board members who sit beside Turner in meetings are familiar with his meeting notes becoming pieces of artwork.
“We are so fortunate to have David Turner, an incredibly talented artist, on our board,” said Susan Harris, president of the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust. “He generously agreed to design a new logo for the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, one that visually incorporates the elements of our mission statement. I love the way David describes the new logo, saying he just made it a little ‘warmer.’”
The sketch, which became the new logo with the help of Karen Parker at Waterford Printing, added trees native to the Eastern Shore, refined the landscape to show farmland, a vegetated buffer, and a waterway, and replaced the structures with a home and barn.
The logo looks similar to the original but is truer to the Eastern Shore and the lands the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust conserves.
“Our revised logo more clearly represents our mission of protecting property by highlighting features such as agriculture, habitation, waterways, wetlands, buffer strips, trees, and shrubs,” Turner said. “We especially want to emphasize the beauty and benefits of our easement donors living on and with the land.”
Turner and his family were involved early on with the land trust and its mission to conserve Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
He and his immediate family owned Corratock, a historic home built in 1780 on Craddock Creek, for 25 years. In that time, they added to the legacy and stewardship of the property.
The Turners transitioned the land from agriculture to native grasses, clover, and other plants and habitat for wildlife. This improved the property for hunting but also created a wildlife sanctuary.
“We planned to keep the property as open space and we wanted to protect that open space perpetually,” said Turner.
So, David, his father, William Turner Sr., and his brothers, Robert and William donated a conservation easement on Corratock in 2009.
Viewing Corratock from a boat on the Chesapeake Bay, one sees a long stretch (about 2.5 miles) of sandy beach marked on the southern end by a tall red tower. The tower is a small, raised cabin that sits on the point of a peninsula between Back Creek and Craddock Creek. Behind the beach, there are extensive marshlands (more than 1,000 acres) as well as some open land, forest, and ponds managed for wildlife.
While Corratock is a wonderful place for both hunting and fishing, Turner and his family also enjoyed wildlife viewing and beach combing.
“While we weren’t planning on selling the property at that time, we considered that things change over time and property changes hands,” he said. “A conservation easement protects the conservation benefits of the land when the property transfers to new ownership. I feel at ease knowing now that the property is owned by someone new, the conservation easement will preserve the land undeveloped and as open space.”
Successive landowners retain the right to private ownership and use of the property as long as the use fits the conservation purposes protected by the easement.
Undeveloped, the property will continue to provide a sanctuary for wildlife and protect and restore local waterways.
“The bigger picture that I see is everything runs downstream,” Turner said. “The less developed the land is, the less impact on and pollution in the creeks and bays. Clean water is good for us and wildlife.”
Turner said he believes everyone can do something to enhance the Shore and protect the natural resources we are so lucky to enjoy. From picking up trash to conserving land, there’s a way we can all contribute.
For David and his family, it was conserving Corratock for wildlife, water quality, and the next generation of land stewards.
