Board President
Henry Beetle Hough was by no means a rich man, but like all of us who read this newsletter, he was a man who appreciated the beauty of the Island and cared deeply for it. In December of 1958, Hough, an Edgartown resident and the editor of the Vineyard Gazette, took the proceeds he received from the recent sale of a book and purchased ten acres of land to place into conservation. These 10 acres, along with the ice house pond and John Butler’s Mudhole, are the area we now call Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary. Hough had the presence of mind and foresight to recognize that if he and others did not step forward and start to conserve places of unique beauty on the Island, they would be forfeited to the whims of developers.
Today, thanks to Henry Hough and many other generous benefactors, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation preserves and protects over 2,900 acres of rolling grass plains, forests, ponds, wetlands and sea shores on our wonderful island. Our marquis properties, like the Sanctuary in Edgartown at the foot of Henry Hough’s backyard on Pease’s Point Way, Caroline Tuthill Preserve, Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary, Quansoo Farm, West Chop Woods, and our other properties across the Island, serve as places to connect with nature, to walk, and explore with family and friends. Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation properties enrich our lives and our relationships—whether you’re escaping summer traffic with a hike through Middle Road Sanctuary, bundling up to take in the golden afternoon winter light on Quansoo Farm, heading out to The Hal & Olive Tilghman Preserve on Chappaquiddick, or bird watching at Little Beach…if you have read this far, you know of what I speak!
I would like to ask you to think about the future Martha’s Vineyard and what you can do to pay back the debt we owe to Henry Beetle Hough and his group of initial supporters. Each of us, whether we are weekend visitors, monthly renters, seasonal or year-round residents, has an opportunity to pay that debt forward to help future generations enjoy this special island.