Conserving Land • Protecting Resources
Since 1987
 

As of January 1, 2024, the Rensselaer Land Trust has merged with the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance. For all questions regarding donations, events, land, or other matters, please visit www.rensselaerplateau.org or call 518-712-9211. For questions about the merger, use extension 101 to speak with Jim Bonesteel. You can expect a new name and logo for our merged organization by Spring / Summer 2024 and a new website by the end of the year!

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A Note from Bob Crowley, RLT President

BobCrowley_PresidentIf you joined us at the 2019 RLT annual meeting, you might recall I closed the event with a few comments about myself, about RLT as an organization and about our members and community.

I’ve been involved with RLT for ten years…six of those as Treasurer. Prior lives were spent working for the NYS Department of Transportation and Division of the Budget, in public administration grad school at SUNY Albany, with the Peace Corps in West Africa, attending Union College and growing up in Hoosick Falls. Ironically, in all that time, I can’t say I was ever involved in any true conservation efforts….yet, here I am writing to you as the RLT President !

As a newly minted President, it seemed like a good idea to make myself a list of RLT’s activities and here is what I came up with. We have….easements to monitor… membership to grow…preserves to maintain…financial support to develop….outings to organize….a public to inform…grants to implement…publications to distribute….partnerships to develop…..an organization to run….social media presence to maintain….and (always) new ideas to explore. That’s an ambitious and important agenda that we can all be proud of.

I’m also impressed with the wide variety of people and backgrounds represented in our Board of Directors, our members and our overall community. On the upside, this leads to a continual progression of new ideas and projects that come our way from all directions. On the down side this can lead us to undertake more than our best intentions can realistically deliver (but that’s a topic for another time).

This is also a community that puts into practice an obvious but often neglected fact of life: if one wants something to happen in this world, one has to take some action. So, after you read this, go back up to my list of RLT activities, find something you value and enjoy, pick up the phone and take that action. We’ll all be glad we did and we will make a difference!

Bob Crowley
President

Caption: Bob Crowley, never afraid to get dirty on the job--pulling invasive water chestnuts from the Hoosic River.