THE WARREN CONSERVATOR Fall 2012
From The President’s Desk
Permit me to comment on my colleagues at the Land Trust. I have never witnessed ‘volunteer’ Board members devote more time, effort and meticulous attention to detail than has the Land Trust Board in the past six months. We suspected that the accreditation process would be exceedingly time-consuming, and we were correct. Yet when faced with writing substantial new land stewardship, financial, and governance policies, all members assumed their draft-writing responsibilities. In addition to our regular Board meetings, committees rendered detailed accounts of record keeping, conflict of interest tracking, financial reporting, strategic planning and land management. Indeed, we knew this would challenge our Board and we are appreciative of the support we have received from the town and the Kent Land Trust. Dan Hulseberg has led the quest for accreditation in a thoughtful and organized manner, and the hope is that we will make formal application in 2013.
Our annual fundraising drive got underway this spring. Returns thus far are ahead of last year, and we are grateful for your support. We are mindful of our responsibility to use your dollars wisely, and know you will be pleased to read below about a grant we recently received which will reinforce our financial good-health.
We also continue our efforts to reach out to similarly minded organizations in the community. Along these lines, a very productive and collegial meeting with the Lake Waramaug Task Force was held in June. As you will read below, we agreed upon a number of mutual issues, which should produce a fruitful liaison between Boards. In addition, the Land Trust happily participated in Town Cleanup Day alongside Town Parks & Recreation. We plan to make this an annual event, and are very grateful to all who participated.
By the time you receive this newsletter, we hope that you will have visited our booth at the 2012 Warren Fall Festival. This year we will present a raffle with three excellent prizes: a state-of-the-art kayak with paddles and life vest, a gift certificate from L.L. Bean, and a voucher for a Christmas tree from the Angevine Tree Farm.
Finally, we sincerely hope that all members will attend the annual meeting of the Land Trust at the Academy on November 17. The annual meeting notice on the mailing panel provides further details. We welcome your participation and urge you to feel free to contact any member of our Board of Directors with questions or comments.
Ted Morse
President