Dear Friends:

 

The past few months have been filled with a flurry of activity on several fronts. First and

foremost, we agreed to work in partnership with Open Space Institute to leverage our ability to

expand our efforts to preserve open space in our region along the Route 209 corridor. We have

increased our cooperation with other regional land trusts to share resources, ideas, and talent in

order to further our important mission. We are very excited by these prospects and look forward

to expanding our efforts, both in terms of geographic reach and the density of easements in our

existing service area.

 

On a practical note, we have intensified our monitoring of our existing conservation easement

properties with a goal of visiting 100% of our easement properties this year. We are updating

our easement baseline reports, with extensive documentation of the flora, fauna and an inventory

natural characteristics of many of our easement properties.

 

Our commitment to our mission has not diminished since our organization was founded 20 years

ago. We have become the largest land conservancy in Ulster County, after Mohonk Preserve, in

terms of acreage under protection and the number of easements held. We are proud of this

growth and believe it forms a strong base for further growth. None of this would be possible

without the continuing support of generous donors.

 

In the past few months, our financial resources (like yours, perhaps) have been diminished by the

recent turbulence in the stock market. We rely on dividend and interest income to fund a large

portion of our annual operating expenses, and count on contributions from members and friends

to fund the remainder.

 

As the Spring approaches, may we ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible

contribution to help us continue to protect open space in our beautiful region.

 

Sincerely,

 

Walter Levy

President

Fall 2009 Newsletter

© 2009-2010 Rondout-Esopus Land Conservancy, Inc.