As I reach the end of my tenure as Bayou Land Conservancy’s board chair, I wanted to thank you for making my job easier! Because of your support , BLC continues to preserve more land that protects our community from flooding, cleans our drinking water, and provides wildlife habitat.
My hat is off to our staff and volunteers for adapting to the challenges of working in the “COVID” world. We’ve successfully moved much of our educational programming to virtual platforms, all while our volunteer trail crew safely constructed a 1-mile extension of our Spring Creek Nature Trail to connect with Harris County Precinct 4’s Burroughs Park. That same trail crew put in more than 1,600 hours to keep our 14-mile trail in tip-top condition for the thousands of people using it to find mental, spiritual, and physical solace. We saw a 700% increase in the use of our trail app in the 2nd quarter. This along with the full parking lots at the trailheads were sure signs that this outdoor space was valuable to our community.
The BLC Trail Crew wore masks, often times during the heat of the summer, to maintain and continue to improve the Spring Creek Nature Trail
To add to that, we protected more land this year, thanks to you! The jewel in our land conservation crown for 2020 is the 117 acres near Tomball, donated to BLC, that will be the perfect place to engage students and adults in land conservation for years to come. You help us protect the land that provides 85% of the drinking water to metropolitan Houston—that’s huge!
Drone footage of Spring Creek on the 117 acres that Bayou Land Conservancy now owns thanks to a generous donation from Sprint Sand and Clay
You also help us to be better every year. In 2020, we underwent a Community Conservation Assessment. Based on interviews with community partners, we now have a road map that guides us to deliver programs that are more inclusive and impactful. Combining those findings with our work on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, we look forward to engaging more broadly and meaningfully with the community.
Trainees from Ambassador Class XV socially distanced and wore masks while safely attending the fall Program
No doubt this has been a year of great challenges, and my heart goes out to all those facing hardships. I hope that 2021 will be a time for peace, healing, and reconnection for all of us. When it comes to delivering the benefits of nature to our community, we count on you. It has been my honor to serve as board chair for the last two years, and in my final ask to you, please consider an end of year gift that will help Bayou Land Conservancy deliver more outdoor spaces to our community in 2021. Thank you!
Lisa currently serves as the Board Chair for Bayou Land Conservancy (2019-Present). She is a sustainability professional who has developed and managed environmental programs for the cities of Houston and San Antonio. Currently, she leads sustainable transportation initiatives at Rice University. Lisa is also a professional cellist and has performed national and internationally. In her spare time, she likes to go hiking and bicycling with her husband, Sam.
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