Dear Neighbors – 

As I am sure you are aware, last month Simsbury residents resoundingly approved the town’s participation in ongoing efforts to preserve the Ethel Walker Woods.  In two separate votes, our community agreed to expend $8 million of town funds on the acquisition and protection of this remarkable 427 acres:  $7 million to acquire 336 acres in March of 2007 and a $1 million deposit to secure an additional 91 acres for acquisition by the town in 2012 and 2014.  These votes were huge hurdles in the effort to protect Walker’s Woods and mark the end of a long grassroots campaign to raise the town’s share of the purchase price. However, they do not signal the end of the effort which, if successful, will provide lasting benefits to our town and to the generations that succeed us.

With the town’s share of the funding secured, our focus must now turn to a private fundraising campaign to raise the remainder of the purchase price. The Trust for Public Land, with the support of Keep the Woods, The Ethel Walker School, Trout Unlimited, and Farmington River Watershed Association, has committed to raising the additional $2.75 million in private donations needed by March 2007 to complete the first phase of the acquisition. Approximately $1 million has been raised to date, but we are still well short of this goal.  

As your neighbor, we are asking that you make a contribution to ensure the success of the private fundraising campaign and the preservation of this special property.  Through our involvement with the effort to preserve Walker’s Woods, we have become familiar with the extraordinary benefits that conservation of this property will provide. For example, consider the fact that the aquifer lying under this property is the primary source of our drinking water. Can you place a value on protecting our water?  Can you place a value on the rich collection of streams, forests, meadows, and wetlands that support countless species of wildlife on the property?  Can you place a value on the exceptional recreational and educational opportunities that the property provides? 

The recent vote to preserve the property has already shown that we do value these things and that we are willing to pay for them. However, the price the town has been asked to pay for the land is significantly below its appraised market value and considerably less than the total purchase price. We must rely on additional contributions to pay the full price of the land’s preservation (knowing full well that this land is priceless). 

It is now up to all of us to see that the private fundraising component of this project is successful. This is the final challenge that we must meet. I am enclosing a donation form that can be mailed to The Trust for Public Land with your contribution, which will be fully tax-deductible. Please contribute as much as you can, as the success of the campaign is depending upon your generosity. Finally, if your year-end gift is received by December 31, 2006, it will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $500,000, with a Challenge Grant established by a group of TPL volunteers. This will allow TPL to pursue an even more ambitious agenda next year. 

If you would like more information or to discuss the project further, I can be reached at the number below. You can also visit The Trust for Public Land’s website at www.tpl.org.

Sincerely,