The Steamboat Conservation Partnership has released its 2018 report to supporters on the completion of their ninth successful year of operation. Here is that report.
Donations:
During our 2017-2018 fiscal year (July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018), we raised $14,818.86 for Capitol Land Trust (CLT), earmarked to finance part of their operational activities within the Steamboat Peninsula Region where most of us live and/or own property. This was slightly below our annual goal of $15,000 in collections.
Over the nine years of the existence of the SCP, we have raised $148,447.96 for CLT, which is $13,447.96 above our goal of $135,000 for that nine-year period. We should all be very proud of generating these funds to ensure that many of our natural areas will be available to our children, grandchildren and beyond.
The SCP is a five-year agreement between the Griffin Neighborhood Association and Capitol Land Trust during which we attempt to raise at least $15,000 per year to help finance the operational activities of CLT within the Steamboat Peninsula Region (the watersheds of Eld Inlet and Totten Inlet). After completion of the first five-year agreement in 2014, a second agreement was made. We have just completed the fourth year of this five-year agreement. The SCP is unique. We are told that no other agreement for raising earmarked funds exists between a neighborhood association and a land trust in the nation.
Activities:
Since the SCP was formed in 2009, with our help, CLT has been able to add several areas to its bank of conserved properties within the Steamboat Peninsula Region, including:
- The Adams Cove Preserve, 35 acres and a pocket estuary in Totten Inlet.
- The Lower Eld Estuary Preserve, 55 acres along southern Eld Inlet.
- The Schmidt Conservation Easement addition, 5.5 acres near Hunter Point, adding to 29 acres already conserved.
- In addition, our donations were used to establish a stewardship fund to protect the remaining 175 acres of the Wynne Tree Farm. The 530 acre Wynne farm has now been conserved. This jewel of a farm located in the Schneider Creek Valley with the headwaters of Schneider Creek.
- These conserved properties are in addition to many other properties in our area conserved in prior years, including the Triple Creek Farm, Randall Preserve and Allison Springs, and Willits Tree Farm.
Organization:
The Steamboat Conservation Partnership was organized into the following committees: 1) Fund-raising; 2) planning/technical committee; and 3) general operations. We have always sought members to serve on these committees.
At a meeting of the general operations committee several months ago, it was decided that we would not seek another five-year extension of the agreement between the Griffin Neighborhood Association and the CLT in July of 2019. SCP has had a remarkable run of fundraising and support for CLT through the efforts of you the donors. However, it was felt that we had reached a point of diminishing returns and that the time had come to bring the partnership to an end. The decision in no way suggests a lack of support for CLT and its important work. In fact, many of us expect to continue working on its behalf and making contributions.
We hope your enthusiasm to continue the SCP has not waned, and that you once again will make an annual contribution or periodic contributions to ensure natural areas continue in the Steamboat Peninsula Region continue to be conserved.
CLT’s annual summer gala and auction will be held at Ralph and Nancy Munro’s Triple Creek Farm on Saturday, August 11, from 4-8 pm. Information, including ticket prices, may be found on the Capital Land Trust’s website. This is a great event and is an opportunity to meet many other contributors to Capitol Land Trust.
Thank you for your past support.
Peter Reid
Steve Lundin