“For kids, the natural world can be a place of peace, health and inspiration—and can launch a lifetime passion for conservation.” – Richard Law, “Last Child in the Woods”
The healing power of nature
What a year it has been. The ups and downs, the uncertainty, the need to continually adapt. Here at the land trust, we too have been transitioning and finding new ways to connect with each other, our friends and families, and people like you.
In our region, there’s a growing recognition of the importance of neighborhood conservation areas, and how they are central to our health and quality of life. For so many of us they have become places where families and friends can connect after work or church, listen to owls, watch frogs with their kids or grandkids, or simply relax after a busy day.
Yet, even in Tug Hill and the surrounding region, there aren’t many places
that provide easy, accessible, close-to-home, nature experiences.
It’s one of the reasons why we, as a land trust, are working to establish new neighborhood conservation areas as part of our strategic conservation efforts.
Providing nature close to home
That’s why I’m particularly honored to announce an extraordinarily generous gift of land by Dr. Marvin Reimer and his family. Dr. Reimer knows how important nature is to the health of our community. A retired pediatrician, he has spent much of his career caring for children in Jefferson County.
“We were very happy when Tug Hill Tomorrow agreed to accept the donation of our land on French Settlement Road, in the Town of Lorraine. We purchased the land in 1988, mainly to have a place where we could go and walk, and enjoy the woods, and the wildlife there. That is how we mostly used it. We did take out some firewood, and picked blackberries, but not much else,” explained Dr. Reimer.
The beautiful 121-acre property, with its gently rolling paths through the woodlands, is interspersed with wetlands and ponds. It will now become our newest public conservation area and will serve as a haven for the community and wildlife alike.
Dr. Reimer smiled as he shared his family’s vision for the land. “We are delighted it will be used as a place for people to enjoy nature.”
Once we secure funding to create a conservation plan, and related parking area and trail improvements, we will open the land to the public.
At a time when good news, compassion, and generosity of heart and spirit matters more than ever, Dr. Reimer and his family have provided a gift that will inspire the next generation of conservationists. Sharing the love of nature is a gift that will last for generations to come.
We can’t thank the Reimer family enough for recognizing how the health of our community is inextricably linked with experiencing the wonders of nature. As Dr. Reimer explains, “We enjoyed the land, and look forward to other people enjoying it while it’s preserved as a natural area.”
I hope to greet you out there in the coming years so that you, too, will experience the magic of this very special place.
Sincerely,
Linda M. Garrett
Executive Director