Letter from the President

Last month Dick Davis stepped down as president of the Simsbury Land Trust after 12 years of dedicated service. During his tenure as president, the Simsbury Land Trust became a major force in town for preservation of open space, and over 550 acres of land was acquired or preserved by the SLT. Especially significant have been the acquisition of development rights to the 109-acre Rosedale Farms and much of Tulmeadow Farm. We are currently in the fundraising stage for the third and final stage of Tulmeadow, the 73 acre woodlot. During his tenure Dick also helped the Simsbury Land Trust acquire the bog on North Saddle Ridge and 80 acres of land on the West Ridge that will help complete a trail system there. While we expect that Dick will remain very much involved with the land trust, and particularly with our Acquistion Committee, we want to acknowledge our debt of gratitude to him.

As the new president of the Simsbury Land Trust, I know I have a hard act to follow but I am honored to have been elected president and am enthusiastic about the work that lies ahead. Let me tell you a bit about myself and why the work of the Simsbury Land Trust is so important to me.

I originally am from the mountains of southern New Mexico, though my family moved east to the Washington, D.C. area just before I went to high school. I remained in the east for college and law school, even as the rest of my family made their way back to New Mexico; and my wife, Joan, and I moved to Simsbury less than 2 years after I finished law school. We had no family or contacts in the area, except for a friend's parents who lived in Simsbury. We stayed with them for a few days when we first arrived in January, 1977 and have never left Simsbury. We were both taken with the rural beauty of the town and decided that this is where we would settle and raise our family, which is what we did. Joan has taught and been in the admissions office of Westminster School and was Chair of the Planning Commission for several years. I have continued to practice law in Hartford, but have always found ways to remain active in town, including representing the town as a young lawyer when my firm was town counsel, service on the Library Board, in the leadership of First Church, and more recently as Chair of the Charter Revision Commission for Simsbury. After 31 years in town, we still love it here.

My love of the outdoors began with riding trails in the mountains as a kid in New Mexico and, during my time in New England, has been nourished with regular hiking trips to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Despite my love of hiking, I had not until the past few years taken advantage of the wonderful hiking trails in town. That changed though, when I became involved with the Simsbury Land Trust. So, in addition to having the perspective of having lived in town most of my adult life, I also have the fresh enthusiasm of one who has just discovered some of the treasures we have here.

One of my goals as president of the Simsbury Land Trust is to continue to look for opportunities to preserve significant parcels of land consistent with our mission. I also want to help us be good stewards of the land that has already been preserved though the dedication, support and hard work of so many people in town. I am excited about it, and don't be surprised if I ask you for help.

Chuck Howard