CCF 50th Anniversary
Looking Forward to the Next 50 Years

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your past support of the Carlisle Conservation Foundation. Recently CCF celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a day of hikes, bird-walks, outdoor games, art and singing, exhibits, and the dedication of a bench at the Spencer Brook Reservation honoring our founders. Also in honor of our 50 years we have partnered with the Carlisle Trails Committee to support the Special Anniversary Edition of Trails in Carlisle. CCF owes much of its land preservation accomplishments over the years to the generous support of members and donors like you.

CCF's 50th ANNIVERSARY CELBRATION On September 26, 2010 at Spencer Brook Reservation, a granite bench was dedicated in honor of CCF’s founders, including (l. to r.) George Reichenbach and Jack Valentine, pictured with Matthew Benfield, his father David and great-uncle Michael Benfield, son of “Ben” Benfield, also a founder. Later in the day, George Reichenbach cut CCF’s “birthday” cake with his daughter (and CCF Board member) Heidi Harring looking on.

Events at the 50th Anniversary Celebration included a morning bird walk, trail walks, a guided nature walk, an invasive and native plants scavenger hunt, fort building and fairy houses, artists at work, and “old fashioned games” in the Spencer Brook Reservation fields, including an egg race, above left. Right, Gene Stamell provided music and songs at the site of the Founders’ bench.

Benfield Wildlife Viewing Platform

Rather than producing a formal newsletter for 2010, CCF has focused on publicizing an ambitious fundraising goal of $50,000 in honor of 50 years of land preservation in Carlisle. Half of this goal is to be directed towards our first project of the next 5 decades – a boardwalk and viewing platform which will originate at the back meadow of the Benfield land and overlook the Spencer Brook wetlands. This was designed and planned in collaboration with the Carlisle Trails Committee and will be constructed this winter. 

BENFIELD VIEWING PLATFORM Above, left, Louise Hara’s rendering of Spencer Brook nature viewing platform and boardwalk. Right, a red-tailed hawk does some nature viewing of its own from the sign at the Spencer Brook Reservation.

Building Conservation Communities

For five years now CCF has sponsored an exciting initiative in the Carlisle Public Schools called Building Conservation Communities including support for teacher professional development and the design of an environmental curriculum for the third and/or 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, and with your support we hope to continue helping our school children connect with the wonders just beyond their own back yards.  For the second year we are also sponsoring the Blanding’s Turtle Project for the 5th grade science classes in collaboration with local herpetologist and researcher Bryan Windmiller. In this popular program 5th grade students are raising turtle hatchlings and measuring all aspects of the turtles growth until they are released into the wild in June on one the students’ multiple field trips with Dr. Windmiller.

BLANDING'S TURTLE PROGRAM In this popular program, 5th grade students are raising turtle hatchlings and measuring all aspects of the turtles growth until they are released into the wild in June on one the students’ multiple field trips with Dr. Windmiller, pictured above.

Additional CCF Activities

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. CCF serves as steward of 645 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.

With appreciation,

Sally Swift, President

We appreciate your support.

Carlisle Conservation Foundation and Land Trust
P.O. Box 300, Carlisle, MA 01741

Board members: Barney Arnold, Beth Clarke, Wayne Davis, Tim Eliassen, Marjie Findlay, David Freedman, Peg Gladstone, Heidi Harring, Steve Hinton, Lori Jiménez, Jamie Klickstein, Jay Luby, Greg Peterson, Scott Simpson, Kevin Smith, Steve Spang, Sally Swift, Steve Tobin

We invite you to join CCF with your tax-deductible donation. You may now make your donation to CCF on the HOME page