For the benefit of all
Dear Members,
ACRES strives to be accessible to all. Our mission statement speaks to this.
ACRES Land Trust owns and protects natural and working lands, inspiring people to value, appreciate and support these places for the benefit of all—today and forever.
Although only three letters, “all” is encompassing:
• “All” includes everything that crawls, slithers, walks, flies, drifts, floats, migrates or otherwise finds itself in an ACRES nature preserve.
• “All” includes everything beyond the nature preserves as well—the innumerable benefits the preserves produce that extend beyond their boundaries.
• “All” includes people in and beyond the preserves.
Although ACRES stewards the preserves for the benefit of thousands of species of plants and animals, one species dominates our time and attention: Homo sapiens. Humans decide not only which properties are preserved but also how (in what ways) each will be stewarded. And we humans must ensure this work continues indefinitely.
Since ACRES relies on people, we need to ensure all people have access to ACRES. We strive to do this by keeping membership dues low and providing free access to many nature preserves. For those who can’t visit, we provide additional ways to experience the preserves such as in paintings, photos, videos and writing; by ensuring accessible meeting spaces and trails; and by making the preserves available to serve as venues for diverse groups of people.
You are part of all the people that ACRES benefits. If you have ideas about how to encourage more people to access ACRES, please share your ideas with me. “All” is a big task; we need your help. We “all” need your help.
