Winter view from Cove Meadow
February, 2021
Dear Chappy friends,
What a year 2020 was! Even beyond the pandemic, and the resulting shut down and loss of life throughout the world, not to mention a sorely divided country, sadly we have lost 3 Chappy folks with strong ties to the Open Space Committee (OSC). Joan Adibi, long time OSC member, lost her husband, Siamak. Then we lost Dick Knight, a founding member and integral part of the committee. Finally, committee member Meghan Getsinger lost her mother, Allyson. Certainly they are not the only Chappy folks we lost in the past year, but they all have close connections to the Committee, and we feel their loss acutely.
In the midst of grief and loss, there is, as we all know, the land—this island that we all love so much and all the wonderful trails available to us: trails that meander through the woods, bring us out to marshes, spectacular vistas or the beach, past ponds and open fields. In times like this, the land can be wonderfully healing. Not only does it ground us, quite literally; it also can quiet our minds, open our hearts to nature and help us get in touch with ourselves when the world seems a very unfriendly and disquieting place. As long as we have to keep our distance from others, walking in the woods can be very fulfilling. I find I can solve all the problems of the world out walking in the woods by myself. Well not really, but it does help suspend them for a time, and you get the point!
We are so lucky here on Chappy to have been able to conserve so much open space, and that is what the Open Space Committee is all about, raising money to conserve land for trail access, habitat preservation, and keeping spectacular land parcels open for everyone’s enjoyment rather than development. Protecting open space is not only beneficial to all of us, but also for the protection of plants and animals, wildlife and the habitats they require in order to thrive.
For those of you who may not know, about six years ago the OSC made its most ambitious commitment by agreeing to raise $1 million towards the Land Bank purchase of Cove Meadow in order to preserve that beautiful stretch of land overlooking Cape Pogue Pond. Where once there were 4 houses, now there is open land surrounding the Chappy cemetery with spectacular views and trails for everyone to enjoy. At the beginning of the summer, the balance on that commitment was just under $50,000. Thanks to the Point to Point race at the end of August, which was billed as a “closing the gap” project, our balance has been further reduced to only $37,000! We look forward to “closing the gap” and being able to fully turn our attention to other potential properties for conservation.
As we continue to look forward to a better 2021, and we reflect on what the land means to us in difficult times, I urge you to consider making a generous donation. To keep Chappaquiddick beautiful, open and accessible, consider giving a gift of love to your island this Valentine’s Day. What do you really love about Chappy, and how better to show your love than by helping to preserve its beauty! The flora and fauna, the wildlife, the birds, the ospreys and even the hermit crabs will thank you!
“The wonder of Chappaquiddick never gets old. That’s the magic.” (Anonymous)
Checks can be made out to Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, P O Box 1088, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 and please include Chappy Fund on the memo line. THANK YOU!
Cynthia Hubbard, Chair ☼ Norma Costain ☼ Meghan Getsinger ☼ Steve Kanes
☼ Karen Langford ☼ Brad Maron ☼ ChappyOpenSpace@gmail.com
