What’s Inside: Campaign for Sibley Farm 1 Board Update 2 Leadership Profile 2Volunteerism at Mass Audubon 3Save the Date! 4
A Newsletter for the leAdership frieNds progrAm wiNter 2012
Dear Leadership Friends,As you may know by now, after 13 incredible years at Mass Audubon, I am stepping down as President and will be leaving the organization by year’s end. This was an extremely difficult choice for me to make but I feel confident that Mass Audubon is well positioned for the
future and in a great place to welcome a new leader. Thanks to your generosity and support, the organization is in sound fiscal shape, and, with the strong leadership from the Board of Directors and staff, I am confident that this transition will go smoothly. Jared Chase, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, is leading the Search Committee and will be spearheading the extensive effort with The Bridgespan Group’s assistance. If you have questions about the process or would like to share your ideas on the ideal candidate, please feel free to send an email to: [email protected].
I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead this fine organization. I will cherish the wonderful friendships I have made with so many of you and the great accomplishments that you have helped make possible during my tenure. Please know that, although I am leaving Mass Audubon as a staff member, you will not lose my support as a member! My passion for and interest in the environment began with my youthful explorations of the fields and forests of New England and will continue for a lifetime along with my commitment to Mass Audubon.
Thank you for everything that you do for Mass Audubon. I look forward to saying goodbye in person and thanking you for your incredible generosity.
We have an extraordinary opportunity to protect 352 acres of beautiful rolling hayfields, woodland, beaver ponds, and streams in Spencer. The property is adjacent to our
Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and is made up of two old farms including the historic Sibley Farm, once known for its prize-winning Jersey herd.
A portion of the property has been identified by the state as BioMap Core Habitat, important to preserving the state’s biodiversity. In addition, the property hosts two established long-distance trails: the Mid-State Trail, which is a footpath running from Rhode Island to New Hampshire; and the main loop of the Snowbirds Snowmobile Club that winds through Spencer and Leicester.
The land, once threatened with development, was foreclosed on in 2010, and now a partnership of conservation land trusts (Mass Audubon, Greater Worcester Land Trust, and Common Ground Land Trust) has acquired a limited option to purchase it. The project fundraising goal is $2.91 million, and we have more than $2.25 million in town and state funding commitments already in hand!
This ambitious project requires that we raise the remaining $650,000 by May 1, 2012. With this much land at stake, and the chance to expand the contiguous protected land to over 500 acres, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
To learn more, or to support the project, please contact Liz Albert at 781.259.2104 or [email protected].
siBley fArm’s BeAutiful AgrAriAN lANd
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Please let us know if you would like a sanctuary guide,
a decal, or a Passport to Nature.
Looking for a way to support Mass Audubon and still receive income for yourself or others? Consider a Charitible Gift Annuity (CGA)—a simple and effective way to meet your needs. With a CGA you can receive: • annual fixed income for life• an immediate income-tax deduction• the satisfaction of further advancing our mission• our enduring gratitude for your vision and support
To learn more about this and other Planned Giving options, please contact Nora Frank, Vice President for Philanthropy, at 781.259.2125 or [email protected].
Leadership Profile: Kathy SeymourFounder’s Circle member Kathy Seymour is nothing short of spectacular. From her record-breaking Bird-a-thon Statewide Top Individual Fundraiser awards—winning the past six years in a row—
to her incredible work as a Banding Station Manager at Drumlin Farm, to leading birding trips and youth birding clubs, Kathy is an inspiration to us all.
Why is Mass Audubon important to you?Ten years ago, birding programs at Drumlin Farm and Joppa Flats introduced me to a new world and set my life on a course I never expected. The birds were fascinating, yet it was the leaders who sparked my passion. They enthusiastically shared their knowledge and love of birds, passing on their conviction to protect them at the same time. I knew immediately that I wanted to do that. Drumlin Farm gives me the opportunity, and the relationships I have formed in the process have greatly enriched my life.
What inspired you to join the Leadership Friends Program? Drumlin Farm has seen a continuous stream of positive change in the last eight years with Christy
Foote-Smith’s leadership and the staff ’s dedication and talent. Coordinating Bird-a-thon fundraising, I have witnessed firsthand the connection between donor generosity and improvements to the sanctuary and its programs. As a volunteer and Leadership Friend, I can see how my support makes possible the programs that I feel are important.
How did you become involved in volunteering at Mass Audubon with activities such as Saw-whet Owl Banding, Bird-a-thon, and youth birding clubs?I knew that I wanted to give something back to the organization, and Bird-a-thon allowed me to do that even as a beginning birder. Through regular program participation, I was fortunate to find mentors like Strickland Wheelock and Sue MacCallum who shared their vast experience, encouraged me, and gave me a chance to develop skills as a bander and trip leader. Eight years ago, Christy asked me to join Drumlin Farm’s Sanctuary Committee, coordinate Bird-a-thon, and help grow the birding program. I knew that the success of the birding program was critical to the success of Bird-a-thon and vice versa. What I didn’t know was that things would go so well that my time off work would overflow with owl banding, field trips all over the country, youth programs, and Bird-a-thon paperwork. Now, I can’t imagine it any other way.
Mass Audubon Board UpdateMass Audubon would like to thank Bill Coady, Tom French, and Brooke Stevens for their incredible service to the organization as they have recently rotated off the Board of Directors.
We are honored to introduce Paula Cortes who has been elected to the Board for a three-year term. Paula, a resident of Cambridge since 1974, is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, where she did her early schooling and some university work. Paula is the Principal of Cortes Associates, Landscape Architecture, founded in 1980. Her work has included projects in Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and the US including the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states and Florida. She has specialized in public projects, including open space planning, park, playground and schoolyard design, and community garden development, as well as private residential design and corporate work. Paula is partially retired from landscape architecture and continues her work with community gardens through the Boston Natural Areas Network where she serves on the Board of Directors. She enjoys gardening, sports, photography, the outdoors, and travel.
Planned Giving
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Volunteers Making a DifferenceVolunteers are the heart and soul of Mass Audubon. We simply could not achieve our goals without the hard work and dedication of friends who generously give their free time to help us succeed.
There are various ways to get involved, from helping out with Bird-a-thon, to monitoring endangered coastal waterbirds, to serving on an event or sanctuary committee or the Board of Directors. Mass Audubon offers a variety of engaging volunteer opportunities that suit a broad range of interests, ages, and experience levels.
Here are our impressive volunteer stats from the last year:• 9,000 volunteers contributed over 130,000 hours—the equivalent of a year’s work by 65 full-time employees! • 56 individuals, including 13 Leadership Friends, each generously donated over 250 hours on various projects. • 1,363 employees from corporate and community volunteer groups accounted for 4,369 hours of service. • 750 volunteers at 14 sites participated in the 5th Annual Statewide Volunteer Day: Work for Wildlife last April. Highlights include: 31 truckloads of invasive and non-native plants cleared, 2.25 miles of trail created or maintained, and 83 bags of trash collected. • In September 2011 the Boston Business Journal ranked Mass Audubon fourth among Boston Area Nonprofits for the most volunteers.In addition to our thanks for your incredible philanthropic support, please know how much we appreciate those of you who have had the time to pitch in and volunteer at Mass Audubon. We can’t thank you enough. You help keep our roots strong. Visit massaudubon.org/volunteer to learn more about opportunities throughout the state.
tidyiNg up the CAmpgrouNd At wellfleet BAy
Insights: State of the Birdswith Joan Walsh
Tuesday, April 24 6:30 to 8:00 PM Drumlin Farm
Learn about the findings of this extensive document, how the Commonwealth’s bird conservation strategy should go forward,
and what you can do to help birds.
Leadership Friends EventsWinter Open House 2011
mArgAret roBiNsoN, KAthleeN sKelly, JeANNette reyNolds, Bill giezeNtANNer, BroAdmoor CAmpAigN
mANAger KAthryN BAttillio, ANd BroAdmoor sANCtuAry direCtor elissA lANdre (left to right)
drumliN fArm sANCtuAry direCtor Christy foote-smith, mAriAN thorNtoN, sArA Brydges, JeAN
horNe, ANd luCiA mACmAhoN (left to right)
Join Mass Audubon Vice President for Conservation Programs Gary Clayton aboard the Evolution, a 32-passenger ship, to the Galápagos Islands from April 13 to 22, 2012. This is the absolute best place to get up-close and personal with
600-pound tortoises, land and marine iguanas, lava lizards, and the underwater world of rays, sea lions, and fish. And the birds! Nowhere else can you get so close to birds such as Swallow-tailed and Lava gulls, Magnificent and Great frigatebirds, Flightless Cormorants, Waved Albatrosses, Darwin finches, and, of course, the Red-footed, Nazca and comical Blue-footed boobies.
For more information please contact Karen O’Neill at 800.289.9504 or [email protected].
Last Chance to Sign Up!Galápagos Islands Exploration
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Forwarding Service requeSted
To SIGN UP for an event, for more information, or to receive a paperless newsletter via email, contact Allison Kern at [email protected] or 781.259.2127. Leading the Way is a production of Mass Audubon’s Development Department.
Save the DateTuesday, April 24, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM
Insights: State of the Birds with Joan WalshDrumlin Farm
Guardians, President’s and Founder’s Circle Members
Thursday, May 3, from 7:00 to 9:30 AMSpring Migration Birding with Wayne Petersen
Mount Auburn CemeteryPresident’s and Founder’s Circle Members
Thursday, May 10, from 7:00 to 10:00 AMSpring Migration Birding with Strickland Wheelock
Great Meadows NWR, ConcordPresident’s and Founder’s Circle Members
Thursday, May 17, from 7:00 to 9:30 AMSpring Birding with Chris LeahyMount Auburn Cemetery
President’s and Founder’s Circle Members
Wednesday, May 30, from 4:00 to 6:30 PMWild Edibles with Russ Cohen Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary
Guardians, President’s and Founder’s Circle Members
