News and Events
Letter to Friends and Supporters
December 8, 2001
Dear Friends and Supporters,
In the aftermath of September 11, this much is clear: whether we were born and raised in Woodstock, have made it our full-time home or retreat here from the city, all our lives have been altered. Tragedy and trauma bring heartbreak, but they also bring opportunity to look deeply at who and what truly matters in our fragile lives. Now more than ever, we the people of Woodstock are aware of the privilege we share in living in a place of so much natural beauty, human talent, and community spirit. Now more than ever, we are determined to pass on to the next generation a unique American hometown in which they can live in peace and harmony, and pass on to their next generation. And now more than ever, we need your financial support to make this happen.
At the heart of this place we call home is the Woodstock Land Conservancy, now in our thirteenth year, made up of an all-volunteer Board of Directors and one very part-time Executive Director. Our mission is to work with property owners to preserve the most beloved fields and mountain vistas, stream corridors, historic sites, and sensitive forests and wetlands - in short, to protect the very heart of nature that sustains us and, now more than ever, is endangered by ever-growing development pressures.
We are proud of the work we have done, but we need your help to continue it. This letter highlights some of our activities in 2001, and invites you to get involved in 2002.
2001 Highlights
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Just three days before the attacks, we held a ceremony at “Snake Acres,” the 88-acre parcel given to us by a Woodstock artist as his everlasting expression of love of the town and mountainous landscapes that inspired his work. Members of his family joined us as we unveiled a plaque to honor this inspiring gift. A loop trail through its gorge and bluestone quarries will be ready for public use in the spring/summer of 2002 – check the website for details.>
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One of the best things to happen in 2001 was the launching of our website. Now you can go to www.woodstocklandconservancy.org (you're already there!) to learn much more about the history of the Conservancy and the land trust movement nationwide, the land we have preserved, current events and future plans, and how you can help. You can also communicate with us: nbsp;make suggestions, volunteer your time, find answers to frequently asked questions. The website’s very existence is an extraordinary gift from one exceptionally generous Woodstocker, Dean Seabrook, who along with graphic designer Susanna Ronner (creator of our award-winning logo) gave hundreds of hours to design the site, which is still very much a work in progress.
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In late August we were part of another birth: the Woodstock Poetry Festival, a huge success that brought together many of the nation’s best-known poets. Thanks to the generosity of the Festival’s founder, we shared the benefits of the Festival’s main event on Saturday night with the Maverick. The Festival and the benefit were the creation of Laurie Ylvisaker, whose family purchased, then donated the land around the Maverick Concert Hall on which we now hold a conservation easement, to preserve a natural buffer for generations of concertgoers to come.
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In the past year we received two other expressions of generosity. One long-time supporter of the Conservancy presented us with a portfolio of corporate stock she received at her mother’s passing. We immediately liquidated the stock (GE) and put it to work. In fact, the Board is now considering how best to invest this and other gifts in socially responsible funds. In the second instance, a much-beloved resident, a teacher in the Saugerties schools, passed away, and his wife asked their friends to make donations to the Conservancy in his honor, which we have received with gratitude, a remarkable legacy of their love.
The Woodstock Land Conservancy has now protected more than 400 acres, including some of Woodstock’s most prized land: the Zena Cornfield and other fields nearby, woodlands on Mount Guardian and overlooking Cooper Lake, meadows in the Route 212 corridor with inspiring Overlook vistas, and groves surrounding the Maverick.
Our goal for 2002 is to continue our work to protect the most sensitive and important land in our town. We have some exciting plans in the hopper, and are working hard on many projects, from Sawkill streamside to Overlook mountaintop. In fact, we are now working long and hard on a project that aims to protect the last remaining vacant land on the rapidly-developing south face of Overlook.
All of our projects, be they conservation easements, gifts of land or stewardship of the land, require tremendous amounts of time, effort, and money. Here's where you come in: to keep operating from year to year, we depend almost entirely upon your financial support. Except for special campaigns geared to protecting specific lands, this year-end newsletter is our only means of directly asking for your help. Whether you're one of the original families that have worked the land for generations or a relative newcomer; a year-rounder or a weekender; an owner or a renter; young or old, rich and famous or an ordinary Woodstocker: we urge you to be as generous as your means permit this year.
Let us know (by calling Dale Hughes at 845-586-2232, or at our website) if there are other ways you wish to contribute: be our eyes and ears for threatened land; volunteer your time; donate land or other assets. To all our past contributors, we thank you, and trust you will continue to support our work. And we warmly welcome first-time donors to our growing circle of friends.
In these uncertain times, we are grateful for the natural beauty of Woodstock and the richness of our community. As we extend holiday greetings to everyone in the greater Woodstock community, we also reach beyond our beloved little town to offer prayers of peace for the world. Thank you for your continuing support and generosity.
Sincerely,
Michael DeWan, President
And the Board of Directors of the Woodstock Land Conservancy