REMARKS BY JANE DIFLEY AT ASHUELOT RIVER HEADWATERS FOREST CELEBRATION ON AUGUST 28, 2010
We’re all here today to acknowledge and celebrate what is possible when many different people and organizations come together with a common vision and goal. We’ve come here today to recognize some of the people, and the organizations they represent, who have made the conservation of this land possible.
Lake Groups – Both should be thanked for helping us get the word out about the project through their annual meetings, newsletter and making contributions to the project. They also helped with press releases and encouraged their members to donate. They had to endure me coming to their annual meetings for two years in a row.
- Sand Pond Association - Jim Beard, char
- Long Pond Association - Ed Suaer, Chair
Allen Family Associated – Mark Allen, Chair, - This is a family association that has dozens of families that have been on the lake for over 100 years. They should be thanked for promoting the project two their family members and the association’s contributions. Mark and his wife Patricia, are donating a match easement on their 38 acre property on Sand Pond.
Lempster Con. Comm. –Sue Lichty - the Commission helped spread the word, held a back sale and contributed funding to the project. They also held a few public meetings and gave out handouts at town meeting. The Town’s forest is in the middle of our two parcels.
LCHIP – provided the $500,000, which gave us the confidence to move forward and encouraged other grants.
NH Fish & Game - Glenn Normandeau, Director, NH Fish & Game & Charlie Bridges, NH Fish & Game – Their involvement consisted of SPNHF selling an easement on the land for $200,000 worth of LIP (Landowner Assistance Program) funds. They hold the easement on the land now. They have been partners with us on most of our big projects lately.
The Wright Family – Tom Wright and Spencer Wright (JB Wright is biking from Maine to Florida), both Trustees of the Wright trust who sold us the land. They should be thanked for their willingness to work with us to seek a conservation outcome for the land, their patience and their generous individual contributions, also for their good stewardship of the land.
Janes’ Trust – provided nearly $300,000 to the project, and like LCHIP provided encouragement to other funders to step forward.
Open Space Institute – provided $250,000 to the project via their Saving New England’s Wildlife grants program, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.