{"id":11109,"date":"2023-04-19T10:23:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T15:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solerastaging.wpengine.com\/?post_type=blog&p=11109"},"modified":"2024-08-30T01:36:53","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T06:36:53","slug":"graham-marsh-nature-preserve-giving-back-is-second-nature","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/blog\/graham-marsh-nature-preserve-giving-back-is-second-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Marsh Nature Preserve: Giving back is second nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Bill Brower, Vice President, Industry Relations, Solera, Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earth Day is just around the corner, and the Graham Marsh family of Alabama couldn\u2019t be more excited to celebrate this annual day of environmental recognition at their nature preserve by broadening awareness of the need to protect the Earth\u2019s natural resources for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To whom much is given, much is indeed expected and required.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to give something back to Choctaw County, one of Alabama\u2019s most impoverished areas,\u201d says Tony Graham, Solera\u2019s EVP & Head of North America Sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graham, along with four generations of the Graham Marsh family were present at the official opening of the Graham Marsh Nature Preserve (GMNP) on Nov 25, 2022. The 20-acre privatelyowned nature preserve in Lisman, Alabama \u2013 now open to public \u2013 is also known as Marshtown after the Marsh Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The land has been owned by the Graham Marsh family for more than 150 years. Not surprisingly, more than two dozen Graham Marsh family members attended the official opening of the preserve, which is the first of its kind and the second nature preserve in southeastern U.S. owned and operated by an African American family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Graham Marsh family takes great pride and joy in conserving the land that our ancestors labored for,\u201d said Graham, who is also the founder of GMNP. \u201cStrengthening and giving back to our community\u201d is why the family opened the land to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Labor of Love<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The preserve rests in the middle of over 800 of the 2,000 total acres of land first purchased by the Graham\/Marsh ancestor Columbus (Lum) Marsh in 1865 from his enslaver Ja-Mes Marsh after slavery was abolished. The land was sold to Columbus for $0.50 per acre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbus started clearing the land and planting crops to support his family. In 1878, Columbus married Mariah Watson. Their 13 kids were brought up on the land \u2013 Marshtown \u2013 where the preserve stands today. Many members of the Graham Marsh family continue to live on the land around the preserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving Back is Second Nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Graham\u2019s family has also played key roles in the development and launch of GMNP, furthering the preserve\u2019s generational legacy and impact. His wife, Beverly, serves as the GMNP\u2019s chief administrative officer. His son, Palmer, a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry, and daughters Toni and Taylor also have played a key role in the development and launch of GMNP, only compounding Tony\u2019s joy in the GMNP\u2019s generational legacy and impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor, an environmental scientist, lends expertise drawing from her experience managing two other nature preserves in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tony, who works at Solera, provides development and related operational support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now open to the public, the preserve is ideal for tours and exploration. Visitors can relax and connect with nature in the vicinity of century-old majestic oak and pine trees to pecans and sweet gums, paved pavilions and a refurbished well. Magnolias and fruit trees dot the mile-long trail around the preserve\u2019s perimeter. If you\u2019re lucky, you might even see a deer or turkey crossing!<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Creating Inclusive Communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The preserve\u2019s ability to impact people of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life is not lost on Graham, who has supported and advanced Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts throughout his 30+ year career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe preserve is about creating and building welcoming spaces\u2026the manifestation of my years of DEI work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Graham serves as Executive Vice President and Head of Sales for North America at Solera. In his work, Graham is most proud of efforts which focus on social responsibility, ensuring Solera is continuously striving to impact positive changes in DEI practices throughout the vast automotive ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaking corporate America more diverse comes naturally and easy for me, and I\u2019m very, very passionate about this work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education is Key<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re opening eyes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are not yet where we want to be, but we are definitely making strides and moving in the right direction. I\u2019m at the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graham noted Solera is fully committed to DEI efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a powerful foundation that keeps us motivated and driven. They believe in big things [ahead]. We\u2019re just getting started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Graham finds time to return to the area and walk the preserve, he gives thought to the significance of this tangible gift his family is sharing with the world for generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard for me to put into words; the fact that we are preserving the land, sharing the land with the local community, and making it available to other families, family members, folks in the community,\u201d he said. \u201cThe way my mother, who is turning 82 in June, lights up when we visit the preserve and when she talks about it\u2026 It\u2019s been one of my life\u2019s greatest joys.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11110,"template":"","solution-focus":[103],"topic":[39,43],"resource-type":[96],"class_list":["post-11109","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","solution-focus-solera-corporate","topic-company-culture","topic-environment-social-and-governance-esg","resource-type-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGraham Marsh Nature Preserve: Giving back is second nature - Solera<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Earth Day is just around the corner, and the Graham Marsh family of Alabama couldn\u2019t be more excited this annual day of recognition\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/blog\/graham-marsh-nature-preserve-giving-back-is-second-nature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Graham Marsh Nature Preserve: Giving back is second nature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Earth Day is just around the corner, and the Graham Marsh family of Alabama couldn\u2019t be more excited this annual day of recognition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/blog\/graham-marsh-nature-preserve-giving-back-is-second-nature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Solera\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-30T06:36:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/solera-blog-giving-back-is-nature-featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"240\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/blog\/graham-marsh-nature-preserve-giving-back-is-second-nature\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/blog\/graham-marsh-nature-preserve-giving-back-is-second-nature\/\",\"name\":\"Graham Marsh Nature Preserve: Giving back is second nature - 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Earth Day is just around the corner, and the Graham Marsh family of Alabama couldn\u2019t be more excited to celebrate this annual day of environmental recognition at their nature preserve by broadening awareness of the need to protect the Earth\u2019s natural resources for generations to come.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/11109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"solution-focus","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/solution-focus?post=11109"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=11109"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solera.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=11109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}