Landscapes & Landmarks Capital Campaign FAQ
Who are The Trustees of Reservations?
The Trustees of Reservations are more than 40,000 people who want to protect the places they love, secure landscapes and landmarks for future generations, and have a visible impact on their surroundings. Through our 95 properties across the state, we offer access to new experiences and opportunities to connect with the people and activities you love. Founded by landscape architect Charles Eliot in 1891 (predating the Massachusetts state park system), we bring more than 100 years of innovation and leadership in conservation to Massachusetts communities.
What is the goal of the capital campaign?
Landscapes & Landmarks is a $50 million capital campaign, the largest non-profit campaign for conservation in the history of Massachusetts, in terms of dollars raised. The campaign was created to accelerate the rate of land conservation in Massachusetts, engage and inspire the conservationists of tomorrow, and to continue caring for our growing network of 95 reservations in the best possible way.
How much has been raised to date?
As of June 2005, The Trustees of Reservations have raised more than $46.4 million toward a goal of at least $50 million.
What is The Kresge Foundation Challenge?
The Kresge Foundation Challenge is a $1.5 million challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation, which gives grants to build the capacity and strength of non-profit organizations. The grant challenges The Trustees to reach our $50 million goal by July 2006 and to inspire thousands of donors to support our mission to protect natural and cultural resources in Massachusetts. We need 5,000 additional donors to meet the challenge.
Why is this campaign important to Massachusetts?
Our landscapes and landmarks preserve natural and cultural treasures, and protecting them in perpetuity assures the character and quality of life in Massachusetts' communities for generations to come.
Why would the average person care about this campaign?
Through this campaign The Trustees of Reservations will establish seven new publicly-accessible reservations on 1,685 acres, including reservations near urban population centers in Fall River and Holyoke. This means more room to roam in your community, more opportunities to enjoy being outside with friends and family, and a Massachusetts that will be beautiful and livable for generations to come.
What are the seven new reservations and where are they located?
- Copicut Woods in Fall River (open to the public)
- Francis William Bird Park in Walpole (open to the public)
- Eastover Farm in Rochester & Marion (opening to the public Spring 2006)
- Little Tom Mountain in Holyoke (not yet open to the public)
- Lyman Reserve in Bourne, Wareham & Plymouth (open to the public)
- Moose Hill Farm in Sharon (not yet open to the public)
- Signal Hill in Canton (not yet open to the public)
How will the capital campaign accelerate the rate of land conservation?
The Trustees of Reservations have launched several new initiatives with the aim of engaging more people to take an active role in conservation in their own back yards. In June 2004 The Trustees of Reservations completed the construction of the Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster, a “green” building that serves both as office space and a meeting place for people working to preserve the quality of life in their communities. The Doyle Conservation Center hosts the Putnam Conservation Institute, a program created by The Trustees of Reservations to help private citizens and non-profit groups to protect, care for, and interpret the natural and cultural resources of Massachusetts. PCI is engaged in organizing and hosting events with an aim to further partnerships and share knowledge among land conservationists, historic preservationists, watershed associations, state agencies, municipal commissions and others.
The Highlands Community Initiative is another program funded by the capital campaign. HCI seeks to activate local communities in the conservation of the natural and cultural landscape in the “Highlands” region: the 38 towns that lie between the Connecticut and Housatonic river valleys in western Massachusetts.
Why is education an important component of this campaign?
Using the tools and insights of place-based education, we aim to make education an integral element in the daily life of our 95 reservations. Many children today are far more familiar with all things Nintendo than anything natural. According to Richard Louv in his new book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, kids are so plugged into television and video games that they've lost their connection to the natural world (hear Louv's interview from NPR's Morning Edition, May 25, 2005 at www.npr.org).
By using our 95 reservations as outdoor classrooms, The Trustees of Reservations are reaching out to the youth in our communities and teaching them the virtue of being outside for the sheer pleasure of it, and to think and see deeply while they're out-of-doors. From programs on our farms (Appleton Farms in Ipswich, Weir River Farm in Hingham) to programs near urban centers (Fall River and Holyoke), The Trustees of Reservations are exposing children to experiences and activities they might otherwise have never had. By connecting children to the natural and cultural heritage we all share, The Trustees of Reservations are cultivating the conservationists of tomorrow.
When will the campaign end?
The capital campaign will end on June 30, 2006, after The Trustees of Reservations have raised at least $50 million.