By
Beth Sullivan
Last
Saturday a group of relatively new members of the Avalonia family got
together to learn about one of many stewardship tasks: boundary
monitoring. This is a job that must be done on an annual basis, to
ensure that our boundaries are honored, and no encroachments are
occurring. It is an interesting exercise and can be approached in a
number of ways. On this day, we approached it by scrambling over a
lovely old stone wall on Wolfneck Road. With a number of tools at
our disposal - Town GIS maps, phone apps, maps and deeds - we walked
a small and, thankfully, relatively open and dry property to test our
skills. It didn’t take long before everyone was enjoying the
challenge of finding drill holes in base stones of old walls and
trying to figure out the best way to follow a line without a wall.
What
we discovered is what professional surveyors know already - that the
town GIS maps we find online are only estimations of where a property
line may actually be. In many cases the phone app we were using,
which was based on the town GIS, was as much as 6 feet off from where
we knew, by deed and survey, the line actually was. A challenge for
sure. But this team also was reassured that going forward, Avalonia
will also have another new team that will actually learn the skills
set required to post a boundary accurately. In this way, when a
property is acquired, and surveys have been done, the new boundary
posting team will be able to get out and put up signs accurately
before the next year when our monitoring stewards follow up. Then the
GIS maps and apps will guide the steward close enough to the line so
that he or she can look for signs already posted and not struggle
with looking for the drill holes and pins every year.
 |
| It is gratifying to know our grandchildren now walk the place we have been caring for. |
 |
| Stewardship may mean looking for drill holes in big rocks. |
 |
| It may mean posting the boundaries so future stewards can monitor more accurately. |
 |
| Stewardship can also mean introducing the following generations to the importance of taking care of the land. |
Avalonia wants you
Sound
like fun? It is. Avalonia is building stewardship teams to assist
with some of the required tasks of maintaining our ever-growing
property list. Stewardship is a great way to explore some beautiful
land, walk off the beaten path, and, quite literally at times, get
your feet wet in the exercise of stewardship.
This
is just one way of giving back to our community, to our environment,
and to the future. Avalonia Land Conservancy, as an organization,
is dedicated to protecting local landscapes, habitats and ecosystems
which support wildlife populations, protect waterways, and promise to
be available for future generations. In a changing world, there are
some things we do not want to see change. We want to know our
children and grandchildren will be able to put their feet in the same
brooks we did. Or walk the same trails. Or hug the same tree.
Supporting our mission and being active within the organization is
one way to ensure this. That’s the giving part.
In
return you will feel the thanks and gratitude on many levels. Maybe
the best way to feel the reward of giving is to watch a child play in
nature and know you helped make it possible.
All
of us who are involved with Avalonia as an organization, thank those
of you who support us by being members, donors or being part of a
stewardship team, willing to get your feet wet for a good cause.
Thank
you!
Happy
Thanksgiving.
 |
| In perpetuity means forever so these trees will have room to "grow into" their signs. |
 |
| Preservation means that the same tree your daughter climbed may still be available for her child to climb and love. |
 |
| The best reward for giving so that we may protect the land is watching the awe and wonder of children in nature. Photograph by Megan Sullivan. |
Photographs
by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.
Don't forget to support Avalonia Land Conservancy through the Amazon Smile program.
No comments:
Post a Comment