THE WARREN CONSERVATOR FALL 2019

From The President’s Desk

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Ever see a newsletter in which the President’s Letter or Editor’s Note highlights or summarizes the content you’re about to read? It’s a common approach - and an effective one! But for our Fall 2019 newsletter, I’d like to summarize what you’re not going to read – what didn’t make it into these pages...because we are still working on it, or it occurred after we went to press, or because we didn’t have space to include it. There’s just that much going on this year and headed into 2020! So, what is the Warren Land Trust doing that you won’t read about here??

We participated in Fall events. We were a presence at this year’s Fall Festival, answering questions about our preserves and trails, handing out new trail maps and trail mix cookies, and offering some great new logo merchandise. We co- hosted the annual Cider Run 5K with Warren Parks & Rec, helping run registration and then running the race (that’s the fun part, of course!)

We looked after our fee properties and easements. Fall is the perfect time to start monitoring our preserves and conservation easements, so our board members accompany our stewardship consultant on inspections to ensure that all is as it should be on the properties under our purview. Along similar lines, we also continue to pursue potential acquisition projects.

We continued work on the Warren’s Farming Future project, surveying farmers and farmland owners about their land and livelihood. This grant- funded project was an outgrowth of the Town Plan of Conservation and Development, in which we also played an advisory role.

We took care of business – not very glamorous, but important. Most significant in this regard, we prepared our application for accreditation renewal. Less onerous than the initial accreditation process, it nevertheless required marshaling a daunting array of land, governance, and financial documentation to prove that we continue to follow best practices in our field. And of course we conducted business-as-usual: committee meetings and calls, board meetings, meetings with partner conservation organizations and others, etc.

Not all of these activities are newsworthy, perhaps, but they reflect a land trust – your local land trust – that is deeply engaged in its work and its community, and deeply committed to its mission to maintain Warren’s rural character. We hope that you, our friends and supporters, are as pleased with what didn’t make it into the newsletter as you are with what did!

Rebecca Neary
President