Spotlight on Five Rivers Members Steve and Patrice Rasche
Steve and Patrice Rasche have been Five Rivers members for many years. Over that time, they have supported Five Rivers as members, annual appeal donors, Conservation Leaders, supporters of our Land Conservation Specialist positon, and recently by making a generous gift to help our local land conservation efforts.
The Rasche’s are all around conservationists! They ride their bikes into Concord regularly to conserve fossil fuels, drive hybrid cars, and live in an energy efficient underground home. You can find them hiking with their dogs on trails throughout New Hampshire.
Pictured are Steve and Patrice with their Samoyeds Aoife (with Patrice) and Trotsky (with Steve).
Name: Stephen and Patrice Rasche
Town of residence: Canterbury, NH
Lived in NH since: 1986
How did you first become aware of Five Rivers? There was a walking tour of some wetlands that were protected by Five Rivers near the center of town and we took part in that and went to the little celebration after the walk.
For you, what’s the most important function Five Rivers serves? Keeping undeveloped land undeveloped. I recently read that natural land the size of a football field is lost to development every 20 seconds in the United States.
Does or how does your day job intersect with your membership? I was going to say that we are retired so we have no day jobs. But then I thought of the Thoreau quote which kind of sums up our current day jobs which of course perfectly intersects with Five Rivers: “For many years I was self-appointed inspector of snow-storms and rain-storms, and did my duty faithfully; surveyor, if not of highways, then of forest paths…”
What is your favorite Five Rivers property right now, and briefly, why? The land around Carter Hill Orchards, simply because it is the only one that we spend much time walking on.
What question do you wish people would ask you about Five Rivers? Who is the Executive Director? Why of course it is Beth McGuinn who lives a mile of so from us and is doing such a wonderful job.
What’s your favorite way to spend a free day? Being out in the woods with the dogs. When I was growing up my father would take me and my siblings hiking but it never meant much to me. It was only when I got a dog when I was in high school that I began to really love being out in nature because I loved how much she loved being out in the woods. I think if dogs can teach us anything, it is how to be happy. Before I got a dog I didn’t even know how much I needed a dog and I didn’t even know how much I loved the natural world.
What’s something you’d love to do outside in NH this year? Hiking, cross country skiing, bicycling, chopping firewood.
What else do you think people would like to know about you or do you wish we’d asked? Years ago I read that money and happiness only intersect in a few ways. First, of course, is to avoid living in abject poverty. But beyond that money can really only bring you happiness in two ways. First by doing things with people you love and second by giving your money away. We’ve tried both routes and they seem to work.
