Natural Lands - The Magazine of Natural Lands Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 155 | Page 3

NAT U R AL LAND S
. FALL/W INT E R 20 1 9
1
from the president
OLIVER BASS, PRESIDENT
Each year at this time, we use our magazine to extend an enthusiastic and
heartfelt thank you—by name—to the many, many people, foundations,
corporations, and agencies who, through their generosity, make it possible
for Natural Lands to save open space, care for nature, and connect people to
the outdoors.
While we’re saying thanks, let’s not forget those on whom every conserva-
tion success depends, the landowners.
Land conservation like that practiced by Natural Lands and our many land
trust colleagues across the country is entirely voluntary. Every one of our 44
nature preserves, 410 privately owned properties protected by conservation
easement, and countless other places we’ve had a hand in preserving is
the result of an individual, family, or institution choosing to preserve their
property, forever.
So, should you happen to visit the Stroud Preserve near West Chester,
thank the Stroud family who donated the core of that property to Natural
Lands decades ago. If you’re marveling at the stunning trees at Stoneleigh: a natural garden, offer
a quiet word of appreciation to the Haas family, whose extraordinary generosity has created a
one-of-a-kind public garden.
Think, too, of John Kennel, a lifelong resident of western Chester County and a dairy farmer who
sold his beloved forest to us so that they could be added to our Sadsbury Woods Preserve. Give
thanks to the Harris family who chose to preserve a portion of their New Jersey farm—famous
as the venue of the country’s oldest weekly professional rodeo—helping to protect important
habitat for grassland birds.
And think of the McCausland family, who, as you’ll read in this issue, not only helped to make
the preservation of the iconic Erdenheim Farm possible 10 years ago but have dedicated them-
selves to its care at an exceptional level ever since.
Each of the hundreds of landowners with whom we’ve worked over the years is a hero. Their
choice of conservation yields much-needed habitat, keeps our air and water clean, reduces
carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, makes us healthier, strengthens our economy, and just plain
makes life better. I’d say that’s something for which we can all be very grateful.