New Jersey Conservation Foundation | Spring 2010 …

1 ANNUAL REPORTINSIDECONSERVATIONA Publication ofNew Jersey Conservation Foundation | Spring 2010 NEW JERSEYP atriots Path: A vision is realized19682010 Patriots Path, which stretches across Morris County andconnects dozens of parks, natural areas and historic sites,was one of New Jersey Conservation Foundation s earliestprojects, starting in the 1960s. See story on page the Spring of 1970, the North JerseyConservation Foundation (as we were thenknown) was eagerly anticipating the firstEarth Day and a new surge of activism. The inaugural Earth Day was a rousingsuccess, but Charles DeBevoise, ourpresident, wondered afterward about theevent s future.

2 The age of ecology is upon us I must sayit s about time. The current wave of publicinterest is gratifying for those of us whohave fought battle after battle; the formerlunatic fringe has suddenly becomesanctified. Yet, I am concerned about thefuture, he said. Earth Day took place April 22, 1970. Now what? Will the storm blow over? What will happen when the militancypredicted by some authors begins to have an impact, if it indeed takes place? I do not know the answers to thesequestions, but whatever the course of the environmental crisis, the North JerseyConservation Foundation will be bothready and willing, and with support will beable to meet the demand placed upon it.

3 As we know now, the storm didn t blowover. The federal Environmental ProtectionAgency was established and the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and EndangeredSpecies Acts were passed. In New Jersey , the Department of EnvironmentalProtection was created and many of thestate s major pieces of environmentallegislation were enacted due, in large part, to advocacy efforts led by New JerseyConservation Foundation and our Day turned 40 this year. The studentswho attended the first Earth Day events are now middle-aged and then ve taught their children about theimportance of caring for our environment,and those children may now be teachingtheir own children!

4 And Charlie DeBevoise was right aboutsome things not changing: Thanks to thegenerosity of our supporters, New JerseyConservation Foundation remains ready,willing and able to fight for theenvironment and our quality of life in the Garden hope you will join us as we celebrateour 50th anniversary this year. We have a full calendar of events planned atproperties we helped preserve naturewalks, hikes, a canoe trip, picnics, awindsurfing demonstration and more culminating with a celebration dinner on Oct. 23. Tr u s t e e sL.

5 Keith ReedPresidentKathryn A. PorterFirst Vice PresidentJohn F. ParkerSecond Vice PresidentThomas B. HegenerSecretaryGordon A. Millspaugh, SecretaryEdward F. BabbottMark W. BiedronBradley M. CampbellTim CardenJack CimprichPeter R. DeNeufville Clement L. FioriPeter J. FontaineLawrence S. FoxVeronica GoldbergKenneth H. Klipstein, MagerS. Bradley MellMaureen OgdenBetsy SchnorrJohn A. ScullyRobert N. WilsonCatherine Bacon WinslowH o n o r a r y Tr u s t e e sHon. Brendan T. Byrne Catherine M. CavanaughHon. Peter Thomas H.

6 Kean Emily RidgwayA d v i s o r y C o u n c i lC. Austin BuckChristopher J. DaggettWilliam D. Dana, G. EhrenfeldJohn D. HatchSusan L. HullinRobert W. KentBlair MacInnesThomas J. Maher Scott McVayMary W. MooreIngrid W. ReedJamie Kyte SapochB o a r d o f Tr u s t e e sM I C H E L E S . B Y E R SExecutive DirectorFrom Our Executive DirectorAbout our coverThe black and white photo in our cover collage was taken by Molly Adams in 1968 on a press tour to promote the concept of Patriots Path, which would span Morris County.

7 In the photo, from left, are Hellie Stowell, unidentified, reporter Walter Waggoner of the New York Times, Hugh Stearns of the Morristown Rotary Club, Bernard Daly, administrator of the state Green Acres Program; Helen Fenske, director of the North Jersey Conservation Foundation and Karl Klotz of Morris County Soil Conservation District. As a kid, I remember talk about building a massive regional jetport in the GreatSwamp. The engineers said it was just aswamp, but we kids knew it was a specialplace. Fortunately for all of us, the foundersof New Jersey Conservation Foundationconvinced the federal government to makethe Great Swamp into a National WildlifeRefuge.

8 If they had not taken action, a bigpart of New Jersey s remaining natural landswould now be hotels, gas stations, and fastfood restaurants. Although NJCF has goneon to protect many beautiful places, I willalways be grateful that they started with my favorite place. I had a chance to pay back NJCF in 1970when I volunteered as an intern drafting an environmental curriculum guide. NJCF understood that children were the key to our future, and they saw the potential ofincorporating environmental education inthe public schools. The problem was thatthere were no books to help the teachers get started.

9 Under the leadership of David Moore, NJCF created one of the first curriculum guides, Education forSurvival, to be used in public schools. I believe that the unsung heroes of theenvironmental movement are the thousandsof public school teachers who have taughtthe next generation about the threats to our natural was lucky to grow up in a neighborhoodwhere we could play in a nearby patch ofwoods. We would build forts, play hide-and-go-seek and watch minnows in a believe that this kind of unstructured playin nature is a fundamental part of becomingfully human, and every child deserves tohave this kind of experience.

10 I have beenamazed to watch city kids come alive whenthey come to the woods for the first say they feel happy. If you think aboutit, this is just common sense. Our speciesevolved in an intimate relationship withnature. We knew the smell of fresh water, thetracks of wildlife, and the cycles of themoon. Our DNA has not changed justbecause one generation of our species hasstayed indoors watching a computer screen. My involvement in NJCF inspired me tomake a lifetime commitment to landconservation, and I now serve as president ofthe Land Trust Alliance, the national leaderof land trusts throughout the country.