A message to our members

Dear Members,

To say these are interesting times would be quite the understatement. I hope this message comes as you, your family, and friends are safely settled in and riding out this Covid-19 crisis. Our ability to communicate and stay in touch has never been better. Thankfully, our phones, tablets, and computers permit us to virtualize with ease. FaceTime, Zoom, and other video-conferencing apps make social distancing so much more tolerable for those of us who crave human contact. For those of you who prefer peace, quiet, and are skilled at the art of self-entertainment, your time to shine has come. Just the other day, I called a dear friend of mine, who is not a social critter. He indicated he was doing very well especially given he’s been preparing for this his entire life. Regardless of your proclivity for socializing, I wish you all the best adapting to this new, hopefully short-term, normal.

So, what's to be done with all this new-found freedom and time? I think I’m not alone in saying that my calendar has never been more clear. Under regular conditions, there are meetings, phone calls, coffee conversations, and the like. Places to go, people to see, things to do. Whoosh, with one wave of the wand, it’s all over. At first it’s bizarre. Then it somehow seems comforting—almost the way it should be. As I write, I’m sitting in my kitchen looking outside onto beautiful preserved properties around me. I can’t help but think about our land conservancy’s mission and how it is more meaningful to me in so many ways given the current state of affairs. We dedicate ourselves to preserving the rural lands and character of Adams County, Pennsylvania. The term rural conjures many emotions. To me, the word imparts feelings of tranquility, self-reliance, caring for our environment, caring for our neighbor. Sustainability, kindness, and compassion that generate benefits beyond ourselves. I could go on and on.

In these troubling times, it is important to take care of yourself. Find time to enjoy the beauty in our world. Take a drive down a country road. Walk your dog in the woods. Think of this moment as a little reset. Things will get back to normal. It will be easy to get back into the swing of things with faint recollection of how we acted in this time of uncertainty. Let’s commit ourselves to using this time to reflect upon how our ancestors lived and operated on a daily basis. Let us make sure we take care of ourselves as well as our neighbors. We all can make a small difference. These add up to substantial communal differences.

Please stay safe and healthy. Reach out to your neighbors who you think are in need. Reach out to your neighbor if you are in need. This is how rural America operated so successfully to get us to where we are today.

All the best,
Dave

P.S. Thanks to all of you who attend our Annual Dinner this past March 12! Talk about sneaking it in under the wire … we did just that. With about 100 in attendance, we enjoyed each other’s company, listened to inspiring presentations describing our process this past year, and made plans for the future. Our musicians, volunteers, and board worked tirelessly to pull off a lovely event. Thanks to all! I could not be more grateful for the support our membership and this community provide our organization.