The Wyss Foundation and its chairman, Hansjörg Wyss, generously offered one million dollars in matching funds to SMF’s fundraising effort to inspire others to give in an effort to help purchase, protect, and ensure permanent public access to 304 acres of beautiful land along Squibnocket Pond in Aquinnah.
The land being protected is a portion of the nearly 400-acre Red Gate Farm property, now called Squibnocket Pond Reservation. The land has been described by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program as among the most important natural areas in the entire state.
“To set foot on this property is to be transported to a time before roads and homes dotted Martha’s Vineyard,” said Hansjörg Wyss, philanthropist and chairman of the Wyss Foundation. In 2018, Wyss launched the Wyss Campaign for Nature, committing $1 billion to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation worldwide. “As a society, we have to commit ourselves to protecting more nature in the public trust so that everyone has a chance to experience and explore the great outdoors.”