To the editor:

Colder days and the passing of another year remind us to reflect on the months that have slipped away like footsteps on a forest path. Always, the questions percolate: Have we done enough? Have we made a difference? 

The answer is yes. You have made a difference, and you are enough. 

At the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, we have felt the power of your contributions. Hundreds of volunteer hours from adults and students made it possible for us to care for conservation land and public trails across our community. 

Financial gifts of every size helped us manage the ongoing expenses of running a local land trust. Many of you increased your gifts or contributed for the first time, which will fuel our efforts to preserve precious open space. Others gave what they could, reaching deep when it was difficult. 

Your support inspires us to work harder in 2025. We welcome you to join us for a guided walk, a cleanup or an educational event.  Participate in one of our stewardship teams or help us build a more sustainable organization by including us in your regular or planned giving.

We are grateful to live in a community that cares for each other and remembers its obligation to future generations. Thank you for helping us to fulfill our mission this year of preserving open space and educating the public about our natural resources.

Cindy Elder

Barrington

Cindy Elder is executive director of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust and helped write this letter on behalf of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust board of directors: Steve Boyajian, Charlie Brown, Kelly Chinners Reiss, Andrew “Drew” Curtis, Ian Donahue, Meghan Frost, Kate Hamilton, Sara Sampieri Horvet, Bill Kirkpatrick, Cindy Larson Moura, Charlie McCoy, Cindy Pierce, Dick Waterman, Vince Wicker.