Get Your Hands Dirty for A Good Cause
The Greenwich Land Trust protects more than 700 acres of forests, meadows, woodlands and tidal marshes in and around town. Here, we spell out the many ways volunteers can help protect nature’s resources. By Kristan Zimmer
Mission
When today’s toddlers are senior citizens, the properties of the Greenwich Land Trust (GLT) will still be in their natural, untouched state, since those who donate to the GLT preserve their properties in perpetuity. The trust aims to provide improved health and environmental conditions for today’s families and generations to come through land preservation and protection.
How It All Started
In 1976, a group of residents looking toward the future teamed up to protect open space (land protected from development through deed restriction), recognizing its environmental and community benefits. In the decades since, land donors have entrusted 729 acres to the GLT. Most of the land (more than 139 properties) has been acquired mainly through direct donations or conservation easements. The nature preserves are diverse, each offering a glimpse into Greenwich’s past: fields of native wildflowers, historic stone walls, towering woodlands, rolling meadows, salt marshes and even an island in Long Island Sound (Shell Island at 5.2 acres). While not all properties are appropriate for donation, the land trust welcomes all offers and considers each one for its conservation value. Is it a habitat for wildlife? Does it offer unusual or ecologically important vegetation or a scenic view? “Every time someone calls us, we evaluate it and go out and see what it’s all about,” says Kara H. Whelan, director of membership and community outreach at the GLT.
Most Needed
The GLT’s obligation to protect the land forever requires a community effort. While there are a few staffers working in the office, volunteers are the backbone of the organization, caring for the land through donations, fieldwork and community activities. However, all their efforts are nothing without the donation of open space. With Greenwich’s natural resources becoming more scarce as development continues, the land trust is always eager to explore opportunities. Have a parcel you want to donate? Call for an evaluation. Landowners who donate property not only prevent their natural landscapes from being built up by development even after they are sold to another owner, but also have tax incentives to do it. Part of the GLT’s acquisition strategy is to continue to acquire small parcels adjacent to previously acquired lots and link them together, so even small property donations can make a significant impact by creating larger blocks of preserved green space throughout Greenwich.
Ways to Give
GO WILD! | The Land Trust can’t continue its work maintaining properties without money. That is why its annual Go Wild! Family Field Day event is the most important one held each year. It’s the organization’s major fund-raiser, drawing more than 1,500 people. Proceeds benefit land acquisition and stewardship (responsible management of the land entrusted to the GLT’s care). This year’s festival will be held Sunday, September 26 at White Birch Farm Conservation Easement (also known as the Greenwich Polo Club), and will feature hot air balloon rides, a climbing wall, an obstacle course, live music, face painting, food and a petting zoo. Previous Go Wild! events were instrumental in raising money to save the 94-acre Treetops Preserve on the Greenwich-Stamford town line, which is the only property under the GLT’s care that is open to the public year-round. Tickets for Go Wild! begin at $50 for adults and $30 for children (three to 16 years old). To purchase them, visit gltrust.org.
Precious Time | Planning for the next Go Wild! begins the minute the current year’s event ends. In fact, the co-chairs for the following year’s committee are always announced at the September fund-raiser. To bring the event together, the committee calls on reps to sell ads for the Go Wild! Journal, writers for articles, food and drink donations, artists, photographers, people to help decorate with hundreds of pumpkins and cornstalks, and young volunteers interested in working with the kids, doing face painting and other activities. In previous years the committee included about 80 people, but this year the group is made up of more than 100, says Ginny Gwynn, executive director at the GLT.
Help All Year | While Go Wild! is the organization’s most glamorous fund-raiser, much financial support for the organization comes from Greenwich families who buy annual memberships. The commitment begins at $50 per year and includes a newsletter subscription as well as access to other members-only events and outings throughout the year, such as geology walks, historic stone wall walks and the annual end-of-the-year Appletini Party. Most of the events are free and offer a glimpse at parcels not open to the public.
Down in the Dirt | Those who volunteer as stewards also get an opportunity to see the private parcels protected by the GLT. Stewardship is the backbone of its volunteer efforts. The GLT is always looking for people who are willing to walk the properties and seek out problems such as a misplaced deer fence or invasive plants that need to be removed. Stewards look for wildlife and report sightings to the GLT as well as perform some physical tasks such as helping clear away garlic mustard, replacing railings on trails or cutting back overgrown bittersweet. All the GLT’s properties are monitored and maintained throughout the year. For example, volunteers recently cleaned up the land on Shell Island and blazed a new trail there. They also repaired a bridge at the Old Stone Bridge Preserve in Cos Cob. Children can also get involved through events organized through the schools or for families.
Contact | For information, contact Kara Whelan, director of membership and outreach at 203-629-2151 or kara@gltrust.org, or visit the GLT website at gltrust.org.