Ringing in the New Year with a 2023 Recap
2023 was another action-packed year for Five Rivers, including several significant organizational milestones in our 35th year. We hope many of you were able to join us at an event or activity this past year. Your support made these highlights possible, so we want to reflect on the milestones of 2023 together:
MARCH – In honor of Women’s History Month, Five Rivers chose to spotlight local conservation champion Carolyn Baldwin. Carolyn is a former Five Rivers board member and is known for her longtime work as a lawyer specializing in environmental law, growth management, and municipal planning. She was the first woman lawyer in Belknap County, and one of the first 100 women lawyers in the state! Click here to read the spotlight on Carolyn.
MARCH – Also in March we held our annual winter snowshoe trek through the Janeway Conservation Area in Webster. Rich Cook and Rob Knight prepped the trail and Rich Cook and Tim Fleury served as naturalist guides. We were delighted to have one of Betsy and Harold Janeway’s sons, Willie Janeway, spend the afternoon with us.
APRIL – For Earth Day 2023, we collaborated with the Concord Young Professionals Network to tackle roadside and trail cleanup in and around the Armstrong Forest Preserve in Concord. We also learned about some of the land’s interesting natural and geologic features thanks to our naturalist guide Sarah Thorne.
JUNE – We hosted a Regional Conservation Planning Workshop with an enthusiastic group of 50 volunteers, community members, and partner organizations from across our 17 towns, facilitated by Resilience Planning & Design. This Conservation Plan initiative will help Five Rivers strategically plan for the protection of the most important natural landscapes in our region!
JULY – We published our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and rolled out our new logo! The Strategic Plan is the result of a seven-month planning process that engaged Five Rivers’ community members, volunteers, board members, and staff to shape our future. Click here to read the plan. In conjunction with our new Strategic Plan, we refreshed our logo to better reflect who we are today, our mission and values, and what we will bring to the future.
AUGUST – Jam Mutschler joined the Five Rivers team as our Development and Communications Manager. Jam has an undergraduate degree in Sustainable Development and a Masters in International Environmental Policy. At Five Rivers, she works with staff, board, and volunteers to achieve fundraising goals, builds strong community connections through communications and events, keeps our office systems humming, and has been a great addition to the team!
AUGUST – During blueberry season, Five Rivers visited Blue Moon Berry Farm in Warner to highlight a fundraising effort to conserve the farm, which has been in continuous operation as a u-pick berry farm since the 1960s. It is a treasured local resource, well-known and loved by residents and surrounding communities. Click here to support the farm’s conservation.
SEPTEMBER – Gearing up for the annual conservation easement monitoring season, Five Rivers conducted a training for our volunteer conserved property monitors. This annual training brings together dedicated volunteers who help us steward the lands entrusted to our care in perpetuity. Thank you, Five Rivers’ conservation easement monitors!
SEPTEMBER – Five Rivers hosted our 2023 Annual Celebration, this year at the Lavender Fields at Pumpkin Blossom Farm in Warner. We enjoyed beautiful sunny weather, an update from Five Rivers, music by the HydroGeo Trio, and lavender cookies provided by Pumpkin Blossom Farm.
SEPTEMBER – Five Rivers held another Evening Yoga event at Dimond Hill Farm. This popular event for people of all levels of ability again had great turnout. Thank you, David Breen and Laurie Farmer of Sharing Yoga in Concord for leading the group.
NOVEMBER – Five Rivers released our Regional Conservation Plan after engaging with expert volunteers, community members, and partner organizations throughout 2023. This first-ever Regional Conservation Plan will guide our work in the strategic protection of natural resources, productive forests and farmlands, and recreation opportunities for years to come. Click here to read more and explore the interactive maps.
NOVEMBER – Our 4.5-mile fall hike between Dimond Hill and Carter Hill had nearly 50 spirited participants! We enjoyed good company and beautiful scenery as we walked along the West End Farm Trail, concluding with cider donuts provided by Carter Hill Orchard.
DECEMBER – The Town of Hopkinton and Five Rivers were awarded a $88,250 grant from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) to support the David and Kathleen Dustin Warner River Conservation Easement project. The 36-acre parcel has been in the Dustin family for approximately 200 years, featuring a promontory overlooking the Warner River and a silver maple flood plain forest.
We thank you for your support, participation, and your committed dedication to helping us in our vision of productive farms and forests, clean water, thriving wildlife habitats, and climate-resilient landscapes throughout our region. We envision communities where people access the outdoors near home, feel connected to nature, and understand and advocate for the benefits of land conservation.
Thank you to everyone who made gifts of support to Five Rivers in 2023. Gifts to our annual fund help us cultivate new projects, steward conserved properties, and engage the community in conservation. If you haven’t yet given, there is still time to help us start 2024 strong. We’re sincerely grateful to every member of our growing Five Rivers community!
