THE WARREN CONSERVATOR Spring 2012
From The President’s Desk
The second half of 2011 was marked by a whirlwind of positive activity, challenges, and visualization of what the Land Trust can accomplish in this and in forthcoming years. We are pleased to announce that Dr. and Ms. Adil Mulla honored the Trust with a 38-acre conservation easement with beautiful views behind their home off Melius Road. Similarly, in December Jim and Rebecca Neary eased a pristine 74-acre field across from their Melius Road home. Sincere thanks for the stewardship and care shown by Jack Baker and Tom Sarsfield, who worked tirelessly with Attorney Denise Trevenan to make certain that all legal obligations were met and documented.
We were fortunate to add the skills of Tim Clew, Nancy Morse and David Schneiderbeck as new members of the Land Trust Board. Each will be making significant contributions to our work. A separate article on the new Board members appears below.
Under the leadership of Dan Hulseberg, the quest for Accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance continues. It is a fruitful but time consuming effort: Dan has assigned various tasks to working committees who report back on their progress monthly. Jack Baker chairs the Land Stewardship and Acquisition Committee, which oversees all fee properties and easements. Barbara Page chairs the Finance Committee, while Rebecca Neary directs matters concerning Governance. This past summer Laura Moore Brown, Ms. Neary and Tom Sarsfield performed a thorough appraisal of our by-laws, and our hope is to have them completed for approval by the 2012 Annual Meeting.
Many of us have enjoyed joining Jack Baker and Tim Angevine for site inspections of our properties. They are instructive, revealing the character and quality of the land in Warren, and necessary for us to document the quality of and changes to the terrain over a period of years.
Finally, we face the challenge of raising sufficient funds to support the maintenance of our properties and the expenses associated with applying for Accreditation. We have worked assiduously to follow the land conservation priorities expressed in the Town Plan, and rise to the challenge of new government and IRS requirements demanding clarity, documentation and hard evidence that organizations such as ours are effective, professional, and serve the public trust. The citizens of Warren have been steadfastly supportive and we truly are appreciative. We also are very conscious of the fact that the next generation should be educated to realize that the world of tomorrow will need a fresh group of participants who will enthusiastically carry on our work.
Ted Morse
President