THE WARREN CONSERVATOR Spring 2015
From The President’s Desk
As you’ve likely noticed from the photo accompanying this missive, The Warren Land Trust has a new president. After numerous years on the Board of Directors, and five years as vice-president, it is my honor and great pleasure to succeed Ted Morse as WLT President. For those of you whom I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my family and I have been in Warren for the last dozen years, first on Melius Road and more recently on the lake. My husband Jim and I grew up in New England, and this part of the world feels like home to us. When our children Kira and Will (now 17 and 15) were little, we knew we wanted them to share some of the experiences we’d had growing up – to enjoy peace and quiet and the great outdoors; to know that peaches and apples grow on trees, not at the corner bodega; or to know what cows look (and smell!) like up close. We feel very lucky to have found our way to Warren.
I came to be involved in and passionate about land preservation in a roundabout way. Unlike some of our board members, I have no training in forestry or land management or orienteering: if lost in the depths of the woods, I doubt I could find my way out without GPS or a cell phone (assuming, of course, that I could get service)! As an avid runner, however, I’ve explored many of our local roads and trails, appreciating the beauty and quietude of my surroundings. I’ve seen the town I grew up in on Boston’s North Shore, and the Cape Cod town where I vacationed as a child, change irreversibly due to incautious development. And finally, like my predecessor in this position, I’m a historian, and thus prone to thinking about what is worth preserving as time and progress march on. As a land trust board member, I have been involved primarily in matters of outreach and governance, although I’ve accompanied our land acquisition and stewardship team on more than one information-gathering or property management walkabout, and look forward to understanding that aspect of our work in greater depth.
These are exciting days for The Warren Land Trust. As you will read in this newsletter or perhaps have already heard, after years of diligent preparation, we have been accredited by the national Land Trust Alliance. This is a significant vote of confidence in our organization, and we couldn’t be happier or more proud to share it with our friends and supporters. We are equally happy to once again devote ourselves full-time to the business of being a land trust: pursuing potential properties for preservation, educating the community about land conservation, supporting thoughtful and measured development, and celebrating our natural surroundings. We hope you’ll join us in the latter: please read about the upcoming April Town Clean-up and June CT Trails Day hike...and join us at both events!
Finally, I would like to close with a few words of appreciation for my predecessor. Ted presided over the WLT over the course of five eventful and sometimes challenging years. It’s not often that one would commend a respected historian and former school headmaster for serving as head cheerleader, but that was an important part of Ted’s role – shepherding us through the accreditation application process with faith in our abilities and achievements, with steadfast optimism, and with a much-needed sense of humor. Fortunately for the WLT, Ted will remain on the board, where we will continue to benefit from his effectiveness and affability. Thank you, Ted, for your leadership and your work on behalf of the Warren Land Trust!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Neary