Fresh out of Newcomb College at Tulane, Ann Timberlake came back to South Carolina and instead of taking up civil rights or the war, she said she “wanted to save trees.” She became one of South Carolina’s leading conservation advocates. As a founding member of the Sierra Club in South Carolina, she helped lead campaigns to establish the Congaree National Park and the Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. She also advocated for the Chattooga River as to be designated as a “Wild and Scenic River.” After working as a sales representative for the Pillsbury Company, Timberlake opened a full service, neighborhood grocery, The Purple Cow, in downtown Columbia. In 2003, she returned to conservation and political work as the founding executive director of the new Conservation Voters of South Carolina. She now consults and lobbies as the principal for Timberlake Communications, LLC.