Summer Benefit – Peter Getsinger’s remarks

Approximately 415 people gathered at Nat’s Farm, in West Tisbury, on Monday, July 18, for the Sheriff’s Meadow Summer Benefit. The following lightly edited remarks were made by Board Chair Peter Getsinger.

Peter Getsinger

Thank you, Adam, for your introduction, for what you and your family do for Sheriff’s Meadow and Martha’s Vineyard. Whether it be here, the high school, or the hospital, your commitment is enormous. The board deeply appreciates your fourteen years of service to this organization, and conservation, broadly on these islands.

It is important to thank three individuals who are leaving the board, and to recognize a new board member.

Susan Crampton, in addition to serving on the executive, audit, nomination, personnel, and property management committees, you provided the leadership for us to be initially credited by the Land Trust Alliance, and once again last year to be reaccredited. You have always been a very sharp pencil from an accounting standpoint. You have and will be a valued friend to this organization for years to come. The only regret I have is that I never had an opportunity to know your husband Steve, a former president of this board.

Keith Dodge joined the board in 2013. He is an avid walker of our trails and served as a dedicated member of our education and property management committees. Keith’s perspective as an educator has been immensely valuable to our education program and helped to reshape aspects of our strategic plan implemented recently by the board.

Bob Egerton, you chaired the agricultural committee well for a number of years, and served on the executive, finance, property management, and nominating committees. The board has always counted on your incisive thoughts, attention to governance issues, and detail. Importantly, you have never been a shrinking violet when it comes to difficult decisions that needed to be dealt with. In sum, you have been a guiding hand to this institution, and we thank you.

And we are delighted to welcome Robin Rivera, who now lives on Martha’s Vineyard full time with her husband George. Robin is an abutter to the Freeman Hancock Woodlot in Chilmark; she is a member of the Good Soles walking group, and has been a consistent supporter of SMF for many years. Please join me in welcoming Robin to the Sheriff’s Meadow board.

It has been a busy two plus years for Sheriff’s Meadow, together with our partners at the MV Land Bank, the Kennedy Schlossberg Family, and the very generous contributions from many of you, we were able to conserve Red Gate Farm, protecting over 300 acres in Aquinnah in perpetuity. And we will shortly close on a property on Chappy, partnering again with the Land Bank.

We completed our five-year capital campaign which exceeded our loftiest goals. Finally, this spring, we completed our strategic plan that will guide Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation for the next five years after a very thorough and professional process led by Tom Enders and Carla Taylor-Pla. It is important to note that all these projects spanned or will span the terms of multiple presidents.

An enduring strength of Sheriff’s Meadow is the quality of our staff and board, and their commitment to follow the organization’s mission statement: “to conserve the natural, beautiful, rural landscape and character of Martha’s Vineyard.” We have board members from each of the six towns, who have a wide diversity of experience—whether they be farmers, financiers, lawyers, or landscape designers. And we keep in mind the necessary balance between those that live, work, and raise families here, and seasonal residents. Maintaining that balance, the importance of thinking local, and having a board that is conservation minded and mirrors the Island’s interests is foundational to our core.

In the late 1920s my grandfather received a call from his brother-in-law, telling him of some property that was for sale on Chappaquiddick, and he suggested my grandfather consider purchasing it. There was no ferry in those days, no ferry lines, and no electricity on Chappy. What we called “the Big House” had kerosene lamps, a windmill to drive the water pump, and ice was delivered by boat twice a week. I can only imagine that he bought the property to get his family away from the summer heat, congestion and pollution of Yonkers and New York City.

It was a much simpler life, very different, much more tranquil, and while it seems a matter of course today, almost a responsibility to complain about the crowds, the traffic, and how much things have changed, the essence of what drew my family here almost a hundred years ago, is still what brings us here today, whether to work, experiment with a different environment, or come as summer residents to the beauty this island affords.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t feel extraordinarily fortunate to be part of this organization and these incredibly fragile and protected islands. Perhaps, the more things seem to change, the more we seem to appreciate the natural beauty and

the ongoing importance of conserving more land, so that future generations can enjoy more than what we are able to do today.

Some years ago, I asked Edo Potter, who was one of the principal architects of the conservation movement that took place in the 1960s and 70s: “What would this island do without the forward thinking of her and others of that greatest generation?” Her reply was direct, “What about people like you, Peter?” So, in closing, I want to ask you who are here tonight, “What about you?” The need to conserve land on Martha’s Vineyard is urgent, and the time to redouble our focus is now. The Red Gate acquisition saved 300 acres of land, but that is only 5% of what we need to do to get to our goal of placing 50% of the island in conservation. The next ten to twenty years will determine the quality of life here for future generations.

So, with that, thank you, for all you all do for this organization, and for the Island. On behalf of Sheriff’s Meadow, I hope you have a very enjoyable evening.