Sense of community is the most fundamental asset of a small town.
Bill Bryson

Dear Friends,

A sense of place, of community, is what first brought my family and me to Carlisle 32 years ago. Today that sense of place is defined by Carlisle's rural character and requires a balance of open space and development. Community character and its components -- beautiful vistas, historic houses, the town center, our history and our culture -- depend more than ever on partnerships among organizations with complementary goals.

This year the Community Preservation Act (CPA) has provided a focus and a platform for planning and achieving joint ventures. Balanced development logically makes partners of conservation, recreation, affordable housing and historic preservation. Along with Carlisle Affordable Housing Inc, Carlisle Recreation Trust, and Carlisle Historical Society, we educated voters on the provisions and benefits of the CPA, and an enthusiastic vote of approval was the result.

Partnerships are not new to CCF. In the past we have teamed with the Concord Land Trust and the Trustees of Reservations to enlarge the Estabrook Woods. CCF worked closely with the town in purchasing the cornfields on Curve Street. This year we partnered with the Concord Land Trust, Concord Natural Resources Commission and Minuteman National Park to investigate intensive sheep grazing as a land management tool. CCF funded the sheep-grazing project on town-owned Towle Field as well as on our own Spenser Brook Reservation.

Over the years CCF has been a partner with many landowners in Carlisle. Gifts of land have been received, and we now watch over and maintain 144 acres in Carlisle. We assist in the placing of conservation restrictions and hold them in perpetuity.

Our most important partners. however, are our members. Your contributions have made possible the sheep grazing project, surveying and legal assistance for conservation restrictions, legal work for land transfers, scholarships and a new nature education program, maintenance of our lands and the funding of land purchases. Some of these efforts are described further in this newsletter.

However, this year our expenses are expected to exceed our income bv $20,000. To reach our goal of preserving 1,000 acres of the 2,000 undeveloped acres in Carlisle we must have funds in reserve both for new initiatives and to cover our ongoing program expenses. CCF needs your new or renewed membership, and we encourage you to make a larger donation this year to help us cover our shortfall.

My family loves Carlisle and its beginnings as a simple farming community. Now it is up to all of us to contribute to maintaining Carlisle's sense of community and its small town character. Thank you for your partnership in this crucial effort.

Sincerely,

Arthur N. Milliken, President

P.S. Please consider increasing your tax-deductible contribution to CCF. Our board has generously offered to match every additional dollar you contribute over your last gift to CCF. As a private, nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers, every penny of your gift of $50, $100, or $1,000 goes directly to our work. Thank you