​My Connection To orton plantation

Orton Plantation Circa 1968
Lisa and Her Dad (Gary)
​​Lisa and Her Mom (Shirley)
​Lisa and Her Parents
​​Lisa
All photos were taken in 1968

My ties to Orton Plantation go all the way back to 1968, when I was just 7 years old. I toured the grounds with my parents, all the while hearing my dad warn me that an alligator might eat me. That was a pretty scary thing for a 7 year old! Now, 50 years later, I spend a lot of my time at Orton, looking for those alligators that I was previously so afraid of. There is such peace and tranquility at Orton. Even though it’s off of a busy highway, it’s like you step into another world where you can hear the sounds of nature all around you. It will always be my favorite place in the world!

I founded Alligator Alliance in January of 2015, because of my love for alligators. Alligator Alliance focuses entirely on conserving NC’s alligator population, keeping their habitats clean and limiting human interaction so they can continue to exist as the wild animals they were intended to be. We continue to fight against a NC hunting season for alligators. We also continue to ask NCWRC to
ticket and prosecute the ones who illegally feed alligators, causing them to be food conditioned.

Alligator Alliance fully supports The Orton Foundation and The Moore Charitable Foundation.
Louis Bacon, a conservation philanthropist, realized his longtime dream in 2010 of acquiring and restoring his ancestral home, Orton Plantation. It is located on the banks of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County, NC. Bacon’s goals are to preserve and protect natural resources.
He created The Moore Charitable Foundation in 1992 to do just that.
Both The Orton Foundation and The Moore Charitable Foundation work together
to protect rivers, wetlands, forests and wildlife habitats all along the NC coast.

It is our dream to one day work with both of these organizations to further our work.

To learn more about
The Orton Foundation and
​The Moore Charitable Foundation,
​please visit their websites:
​www.moorecharitable.org/ortonfoundation/
www.moorecharitable.org/​

August & October 2020

The first time I visited Orton Pond in 1968 with my Dad Gary I didn’t see any alligators at that time, but I remember him warning me that one might eat me. Now, 52 years later, my Dad and I returned to Orton Pond, where I got to introduce him to my favorite alligator, Beau. My Dad will be 80 years old in October, yet he walked the roads alongside me, picking up trash, cleaning Beau’s habitat and just enjoying the beauty that surrounds that area. We also visited Fort Anderson/Old Brunswick Town in October.
​
Anybody who knows me knows I am truly the definition of a “Daddy’s Girl” and I will always, always remember the times I’ve spent with him, not only at Orton, but in Brunswick County, NC. He has supported me in every single thing I’ve ever attempted to do. Back in 2010, when I first fell in love with alligators, I must admit, he thought I was a little bit crazy. Through the years he has learned just how important alligators are to me and how hard I have worked to run this organization. To be at my favorite place in the world, with my favorite alligator AND my favorite person, is a memory I will cherish forever!