On the year concluded June 30, 2019
Thanks to strong support from our donors, continued donations of land, and the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and staff and contractors, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation ended its fiscal year on June 30, 2019 in strong form. The past year featured the creation of new sanctuaries, expansion of existing preserves, continued ecological restoration work, the adoption of an all-Island trail plan, and strong financial support from our donors.
On June 15, 2018, the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation Board of Directors held its Annual Meeting. The Board elected Elizabeth Packer, Sara Tucker, and Jim Vercruysse as new Directors. President Brien O’Brien, Vice-President Peter Getsinger, Treasurer Walt Looney, and Assistant Treasurer Susannah Bristol were all re-elected to one-year terms in these officer positions. Bill Howell was elected to a one-year term as Assistant Treasurer, and Hillary Noyes-Keene was elected to a one-year term as Clerk. The Board bade farewell to Directors Jennifer Blum and Samme Thompson, who left the Board after a decade of dedicated service.
Lisa and Mike MacKenty of Edgartown hosted the 2018 Annual Summer Benefit on their land beside Wintucket Cove in Edgartown on the evening of July 16. Some 450 supporters of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation gathered that evening, and Mr. MacKenty shared his family’s history on the land. Of particular interest was the conservation restriction that John MacKenty had donated to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation some years earlier, further down the cove. Many guests also fondly recalled childhood visits to an old summer camp known as Camp Wintucket, which is located on MacKenty property just down the cove.
In the summer of 2018, Director of Property Management, Elizabeth Loucks was exploring the marshes at Caroline Tuthill Preserve and spotted a patch of Phragmites reed that looked a bit different than the others. Ms. Loucks investigated, and consulted with the State Botanist. Ultimately, the Commonwealth confirmed that Ms. Loucks had discovered a native —but rare—strain of Phragmites, known as Phragmites americanus. The botanical discovery was reported in the journal Mass Wildlife as well as in an article in the Martha’s Vineyard Times.
On September 11, 2018, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation launched a new initiative known as the “Take a Break” Campaign. Envisioned by West Tisbury resident Susan Silk, the Take a Break campaign involved placing wooden benches approximately one mile from each other along all public trails on the Island. All of the benches were made by volunteers, including the wood shop students at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, and many of the benches were hand-made from Vineyard-grown wood. Doug Ruskin of West Tisbury made the first bench of catalpa, and it was placed along the Garrett Family Trail at Caroline Tuthill Preserve on September 11.
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation continued its effort to support Island agriculture over the past year. The Foundation leased a pasture off the Lambert’s Cove Road to Bruce Marshard, who grazed a team of draft horses on the land. At Quansoo Farm, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation worked with the Grey Barn & Farm to return cattle to the land. In August, several of the cows bore calves, the first calves to be born at Quansoo Farm in perhaps 80 years.
On October 11, 2018, the David and Elizabeth Ames Irrevocable Trust and Elizabeth Ames donated 5.2 acres of land on Chappaquiddick to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation. Found near Sampson’s Hill, the highest point on Chappaquiddick, the donated land abuts other Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation conservation land —including land donated by David Ames and his family—as well as land protected by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.
On December 28, 2018, Norman Champ donated a 5.7-acre property on North Neck, on Chappaquiddick, to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation for conservation. Known as the Champ Family Preserve, the land features glorious views from high atop the bluffs. From the cliff top, one can see the entirety of Cape Poge, the Cape Poge Gut, all of Edgartown Outer Harbor, and the breadth of Nantucket Sound. In accepting the gift of land, the Foundation also agreed to raze the house on the property, thereby undeveloping the land and returning it to a wild and natural state.
Land donations continued in 2019. In 2019, Elizabeth and Brian McBride donated to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation three-tenths of one acre of land along the Indian Hill Road. Although small in size, the donated land expanded the boundaries of Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary, and lengthened by 363 feet the protected frontage along the Indian Hill Road.
Edited by Kate Feiffer and designed by Susan Hughes, a new special edition of the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation newsletter was launched in 2019. The first special edition was devoted entirely to the Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary. Future special editions will focus broadly on trails and trail connections across Martha’s Vineyard.
Building on the success of the TrailsMV mobile app, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation adopted an All-Island Trail Initiative in March 2019. The initiative is based on working with willing landowners and a partnership with colleague organizations, including MassAudubon, The Nature Conservancy, the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission, The Trustees of Reservations, the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation and more. The initiative includes a five-year plan to link all of the trails on the Island into one, interconnected web. In addition, the plan envisions a single, all-Island Trail that links Vineyard Haven, Aquinnah and Edgartown into one grand loop. The plan calls for $2,000,000 to be raised over five years, with half of the money to be spent on the trails and half to be set aside in a fund for future trail connections.
The Foundation continued to reach out to its supporters throughout the year, both on-Island and off-Island. In March, Sheriff’s Meadow held its first ever reception in Washington, DC, at the elegant Army & Navy Club. Those whom attended enjoyed hearing the remarks of President Brien O’Brien and Land Trust Alliance President & CEO Andrew Bowman. During the time spent in Washington, Executive Director Adam Moore and Board member Sara Tucker met with Rep. William Keating and with staff members for Senator Warren and Senator Warner. In April, Nancy and Jeffrey Randall hosted a reception for Foundation supporters at The Country Club in Brookline, MA and in May, the Foundation greeted its New York City supporters at the Yale Club of New York City.
In May, the Foundation received a very generous bequest from the estate of Harriette Otteson. Ms. Otteson, who died on October 28, 2018, gave to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation her 3.6 acre property on Menemsha Crossroad in Chilmark. Ms. Otteson is a member of the Poole family of Chilmark. In 2007, she had reached an agreement with Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation as to her bequest intentions, which included guidance for Sheriff’s Meadow on the use and disposition of the land. Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation expresses its profound gratitude for this most generous bequest.
On June 21, 2019, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation held its Annual Meeting at the Wakeman Center. At that meeting, the Board elected new Directors Stever Aubrey, Matthew Dix, Thomas Enders, Geoffrey Lauprete, Thomas Rapone, and Amy Weinberg. All of the current Officers were re-elected, and Emily Bramhall was named an Honorary Director. Finally, the Board expressed its sincere gratitude to Jim Vercruysse and Molly Glasgow, who stepped down as Directors for their dedicated service, and to Chris Alley, Susannah Bristol, and Kathy Ham, who each left the Board after completing a decade of devoted service to the Foundation.
Respectfully submitted,
Adam R. Moore
Executive Director