Come to the Annual Members’ Meeting

Each year Avalonia has an annual Members’ meeting, a time to come together, to share accomplishments of the past and goals for the future.

This past year has been a year of growth, like teenage years. We got our “Driver’s License”: Accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). A huge milestone. We learned the rules of the road. Now we are mapping out our route to conservation acquisitions and preservation.

We are also entering our Fiftieth Year. Another huge milestone. As we celebrate, we are also growing in other ways. We worked with a legal guide to help us amend bylaws to conform to LTA Standards that will work best for the organization we are becoming. One of the changes is to increase the number of Directors we have which will greatly increase our diversity and talents in all areas. Another change was to create overlapping Director terms for continuity and succession planning. As due process was followed, we have found ourselves with some returning “old faces”, friends coming back to re-join the “new Avalonia”. We also are welcoming some very new faces, people who are now seeing the emergence of a well-run organization, ready to step up to take its place as a modern land trust. To get a little more insight into our new Board of Directors, please visit “Our Team” on our website here.

 We will be updating the site after the elections at the Annual Members’ meeting where you will have a chance to meet most of them in person.

Another new person to welcome is our new Director of Development and Programs, Chuck Toal. His focus will be on growing the organization both through memberships and fundraising. There are a lot of positive changes to celebrate.

Chuck Toal

So on June 22, please join the Avalonia team to celebrate these changes. The Annual Meeting will be held at Avery Point, the Project O building, room 243, at 6pm. (details and directions on our website). There will be a brief business meeting to introduce the directors to the membership prior to the vote. It will be followed by a speaker, Jeff Cordulack, the Executive Director of Northeast Organic Farming Association. His topic will be organic gardening and composting techniques.

We all want bountiful vegetable gardens, so learn how to help with composting.

Light refreshments will be served, and members and friends will have the opportunity to talk with the Avalonia leadership, ask questions and get a sense of where the next 50 years will take us.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Beth

Annual General Meeting, May 27, 2016

You're Invited! What? Annual General Meeting When?  Friday, May 27, 6-9pm Where?   LaGrua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington Details:  We will review our year's activities and achievements, and members will elect the Board of Directors for fiscal year 2016-2017. This will be followed by a presentation by filmmaker Ayla Fox: "Engaging the heart to move the mind; why nature needs a narrative." Light refreshments will be served.  Bring a friend!

Avalonia Annual Meeting

Friday May 29, 2015. North Stonington Senior Center, 6:30 pm

By Beth Sullivan

Over the last year or so, Avalonia Land Conservancy has undergone some big changes and is making some great strides. From the ground up the organization is getting in step with new standards and practices.

Avalonia provides nesting opportunities for Purple Martins

We will always strive to acquire important parcels of land, to protect special habitats, and special species, create greenways, and foster an atmosphere that welcomes education and exploration and nurtures love of the land. We have embarked on some more active management projects. Rather than always letting the land sit still and be idle, sometimes outgrowing true optimal usefulness as a habitat, we have done projects that create improve habitats both for the plants and wildlife as well.

Avalonia dedicates a new preserve in North Stonington

Increased stewardship helps Avalonia

We have grown our stewardship teams, hardworking folks who care about the land and the organization, who work hard to maintain, enhance and make the trailed preserves safe and enjoyable for others.

Avalonia connects the trails in Groton

At Preston Nature Preserve the meadows are restored for wildlife

At the town level, the local committees are working to increase communication within their towns, to keep members active and informed, to increase membership and to make connections with other organizations which help us on our mission to manage and improve our preserves.

Groups of students learn about stewardship at Dodge Paddock

We have increased and formalized the standing committees. We can always use more representation and help: Stewardship, Acquisition, Finances, Governance and Planning, and Development. We have also added a Communications Committee that enfolds all aspects of social media, connecting with members and the public, developing outreach and education programs. We will have a super new website, being unveiled shortly, a blog, a newsletter that is rapidly turning to a new and improved digital format for quicker news and greater appeal. We are introducing an Instagram account for photo sharing as well as a photo gallery on the new website. As before, Facebook has continued to be the place to find updates on events, walks and news.

Avalonia provides opportunities to explore and grow outdoors

Land Trust Alliance accreditation planned

At the leadership level, Executives and the Board of Directors are streamlined and working together to work toward Land Trust Alliance accreditation. Getting the house in order is no small feat, and the rigors of doing so are making us all appreciate the challenges of being a successful, productive all-volunteer land trust.

Avalonia provided new Osprey platforms in Stonington Marshes

We welcome everyone to our Annual Meeting, Friday May 29, at 6:30 pm. Join us at the North Stonington Senior Center on Rt 2 by the Holly Green Plaza. We will report on the year’s achievements. We will introduce and elect our new or returning Executives and Board. Our speakers will be Doug Thompson and Jennifer Pagach, directors of the Goodwin Niering Center for the Environment at Connecticut College. We have worked with their students for three years now as part of their Service Learning course-a great collaboration.

Avalonia creaetd new young forest habitat

The beautiful quilt will be raffled off at 8pm. Tickets will be available at the event and are still available by contacting the Avalonia office or a town chair person.

Please join us, for this one night, or more...by planning to make a commitment to an organization that is YOUR land trust, which would welcome your energy, skills and service!

Photographs by Beth Sullivan and Avalonia volunteers.

Avalonia Land Conservancy Annual Meeting May 29 features custom quilt raffle

Tickets can also be purchased at Tom's News in Stonington Borough.  There are only 80 tickets, so get yours today.

Avalonia's Annual Meeting, May 15, 2013

Avalonia members, friends and the general public are all invited to join us at Avalonia’s 45th Annual Meeting, Wednesday May 15th at 7 p.m at the Lisbon Community Center Barn, 19 South Burnham Highway, Lisbon, to celebrate our achievements in acquisition and stewardship and to meet and honor the members, volunteers and donors who make it all possible. We will have the usual business meeting at which we elect our officers and board for the new fiscal year starting June 1st, 2013, but we hope to keep that brief so as to allow the maximum amount of time for celebration, social interaction and of course our evening’s program: On The Wild Side:  Exploring the Flora and Fauna of The Last Green Valley to be presented by Bill Reid, Chief Ranger of The Last Green Valley (TLGV), a conservation and National Heritage corridor located in the river valleys of the Quinebaug and Shetucket.

Several of Avalonia’s recent acquisitions lie within TLGV, which includes the towns of Griswold, Lisbon, Preston and Sprague: Burleson Woodlands (20 acres, purchased in 2009), Linnea Richardson Nature Preserve (20 acres, bequeathed, 2010) Peltiers’ Lost Pond Preserve (45 acres, donated, 2010) Scola Preserve (including Burton’s Island in Pachaug Pond) (75 acres, donated 2011) , Dutka Family Preserve( 17 acres, donated 2012) , Robe Conservation Restriction, (40 acres, donated 2012), all in Griswold, and in addition the Greenwood Tract in Preston (30 acres, purchased 2011).

Light refreshments will be served and there will be prizes. Please join us to celebrate our achievements and to meet your fellow members.