Dear Friends,

My son talks to me about global warming. My friends and I discuss the sometimes abstract concepts of carbon footprints, biofuels, renewable energy, and carbon permit trades. Yet how much time are we and our children spending in the woods, experiencing and observing the wonders of nature?

Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods; Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, offers a provocative look at our children’s lives in today’s technologically oriented society. He argues that the absence of a firsthand connection with nature has significant consequences for a child’s mental, physical, emotional and spiritual growth. “Children need nature for the healthy development of their senses and therefore, for learning and creativity.” In Carlisle we are blessed with acres of beautiful open spaces, inviting trails, and protected wildlife habitats. Yet our children seem to have less and less connection to the natural world around them. CCF has taken on the challenge of helping our school children connect with the wonders just beyond their own back yards.

Two years ago CCF launched an exciting new initiative in the Carlisle Public Schools called Building Conservation Communities. CCF has sponsored teacher professional development and the design of an environmental curriculum for the third and fourth grades through a collaboration with Mass Audubon/Drumlin Farm. CCF is the first land trust to bring this hands-on, experiential learning program into a local school (read inside for more), and with your support we hope to expand it.

CCF continues to work to protect the valuable unprotected spaces in town both through facilitating outright donations of land and by encouraging and assisting landowners in placing permanent Conservation Restrictions on their land (read about the newest CRs inside). CCF serves as steward of 525 acres of conservation land, and monitoring its CRs and maintaining these protected properties can be costly responsibilities. None of this would be possible without broad community support. As an all-volunteer board, CCF members work hard to leverage your dollars into effective land preservation practices. We know you share our commitment to protecting the rural qualities of Carlisle, and we ask you to give as generously as possible to our Annual Appeal.

With appreciation, Sally Swift, President

P.S. Your tax-deductible contribution of $225 will fund one classroom discovery/habitat exploration for 20 Carlisle school children with a teacher naturalist. Please help us build the next generation of conservationists!