This is the last column I’ll write for the BRC’s newsletter. I am leaving this position and will be joining the University of Wisconsin Extension Service as a natural resource educator in the Lake Superior basin.
I began working for BRC as their first staff person officially in January 2000. I remember the first mailing we sent out in the fall of 1999—it had an amazing response and immediately formed a membership base of over three hundred households. We could tell that the work we proposed to do struck a chord with many people who lived here who wanted to see the beauty of this region protected. Since then, every time we had a project that needed money (Corny Beach, Big Ravine, Nourse Sugarbush, Mt. Ashwabay) our members have always met the challenge—thank you!
I’ve had the good fortune to work with many private landowners who worked with us to draft permanent preservation agreements (conservation easements) to protect their land into the future. These landowners not only donated their easements to BRC to uphold into the future, but they also shared with me and our land volunteers, the places that mean the most to them—whether it be a lake cabin, their home on the White River or their fruit farm operation. Anyone who has been on these visits recognizes the magic that happens when we work with landowners to carry out their dream of protecting the places that mean the most to them.
Finally, I’d like to recognize the commitment our board members have made throughout the life of BRC. Since the beginning of the conservancy (as an all-volunteer organization) we have had thirty-two people serve on the board of directors. They have served as treasurer, led meetings, wrote policy, visited lands, cared for trails, visited major donors, organized events and a million other tasks that helped BRC protect more land.
So as you see, although our mission is about protecting land, our organization is all about people. Those who work for it, volunteer for it and donate to keep it going. I’m glad to have been a part of BRC’s growth and thank you all for believing in the mission and stepping up to help us succeed.
a strong supporter of conservation in Wisconsin, passed away in late October. Martin was a long time member of Bayfield Regional Conservancy and permanently protected his homestead, known as Camelot North, with a land preservation agreement for wildlife. To learn more about Martin and his life, you can visit www.brcland.org and view the Spring 2008 Newsletter.
a strong supporter of conservation in Wisconsin, passed away in late October. Martin was a long time member of Bayfield Regional Conservancy and permanently protected his homestead, known as Camelot North, with a land preservation agreement for wildlife. To learn more about Martin and his life, you can visit www.brcland.org and view the Spring 2008 Newsletter.
