News and How Your Support Can Help OBI Now.
Out summer resident birds have returned, including the Osprey at Hardscrabble who found a new home constructed by National Grid. There is also a new additional nest close by atop a pole on County Route 57. The Cape Vincent Ospreys are back as well, building a nest in THEIR new platform on the Valley Road. You may recall that we told the story of these two Osprey “families” in last year’s spring-summer newsletter. Thanks to National Grid and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for making sure that they will have a safe habitat!
The arrival of these great birds, along with all of the other birds and wildlife species (including US!) who call this home, once again brings to mind the importance of preserving as much of our natural habitat as possible
OBI is releasing this special-edition newsletter as we have much news! You will read in this issue about our newlyacquired easement at the Eldrett property, “Downybrook,” which is, as you can see from the photos, a GREAT piece of property which NEEDS to be protected… and will be!
The acquisition and protection of property, whether in fee or by conservation easement, are an expensive proposition for a land trust. There are attorney’s fees, surveying fees, and requirements to complete a baseline analysis (inventory) of property as well as planning for protection and the future. To fund these requirements for the Downybrook project, we applied for a grant from The New York State Conservation Partnership Program (administered by the DEC and Land Trust Alliance), which was fully funded. We also applied for matching funds from the Northern New York Community Foundation, which were awarded in part. However, our grant from DEC-LTA required that a portion of the matching funds go into our stewardship fund, a type of endowment. Since the Community Foundation does not fund endowments, we have a shortfall in the $$$ needed for this project. So we are unabashedly asking our friends and supporters to consider a donation to help us meet this shortfall! This wonderful 180-acre property, with diverse wildlife habitats including wetlands, ponds, grasslands, transitional areas, woodland, and rare alvar communities, deserves your generous support, especially since future plans for Downybrook include free public use.
If you are not already, please consider becoming a friend of OBI. You will receive complimentary invitations to our fundraising and “thank you” outing, held in August, among other premiums. And, you will have the satisfaction of being a part of helping to conserve, manage, and protect this beautiful and important property for generations to come.
OBI will soon be completing our Conservation Option Assessment of Point Peninsula, which has been an 18 month project. We undertook this project to determine what options were available to us to preserve this valuable section of Eastern Lake Ontario. We will also be completing, in 2011, a consultant-assisted board assessment to evaluate our strengths, weaknesses, and board member needs - a first step on the road to national accreditation with the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). We are required to provide some matching funds to the additional grant we received from the New York State Partnership Fund to conduct this evaluation. Please consider a tax-free donation
As you can see, we have an ambitious agenda, and we need your help to complete it.We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in the near future, and counting you amongst our growing number of Friends of OBI! You can become a Friend or make an additional gift by either returning the form included with this newsletter, along with your contribution, or by visiting our website www.obilandtrust.org and downloading the form found there.
Have a great summer, if it ever arrives!
THANKS and sincerely,
Jim La Plante
