The 2020 Annual Meeting will be virtual this year. Below you will find the meeting video, expertly crafted by our board member Elna Joseph-Bijhouwer. It’s a delightful journey through our new McKay Farm and Duley Farm preserves, as well as a peek at many other preserves and the details of our special wild and special Phippsburg places. Enjoy!
Business Meeting
Despite being virtual, our annual meeting still has a business component! We’re asking for your vote via a survey on the following matters: approving the minutes of the 2019 Annual Meeting, approving the annual financial report, and electing a new member of the Board of Directors.
William “Bumper” White has agreed to join the Land Trust’s Board of Directors this year. Here’s his biographical statement describing his interest in the Land Trust. We are very pleased he is joining our efforts!
Environmentalism has been a long-term legacy in my family and became a natural part of my life from an early age. My father’s interest in preserving the local land led him to serve on the Phippsburg Land Trust board in the early days which ultimately led to the setting up of the Jack White Stewardship Fund. My brother John also served on the board, and I am honored to be considered and to follow in their footsteps and continue the work of PLT by preserving, protecting and stewarding the land around us.
Professionally, my career has been that of an educator. I have taught every level between pre-school and graduate school including various positions in administration. Most recently, I was a professor in Science Education and currently am a Professor Emeritus in the UMaine system.
I am excited to offer to PLT my skill sets developed as an outcome of life experience including former boardwork: Board President, Kids Consortium; educational program oversight at a variety of universities and most recently as the Board President of the Small Point Development Corporation, which works with local fishermen, seasonal, and year-round residents. I am earnest to join the board of Phippsburg Land Trust and to take part in the work of utilizing local PLT properties and provide access to all people, especially during this challenging time in our history.
— William “Bumper” White.
Bumper White will become the fourth 2nd generation Land Trust person on the current Board of Directors.
Board Directors ending Terms
We are saying goodbye to two Land Trust Board members this year: Art Charles and Ray Nowak. Art Charles has been a critical member of the Stewardship Committee, and we hope he will continue to volunteer when he is able to be in Phippsburg. Ray Nowak has become the Land Trust’s Treasurer, and has worked hard to streamline our financial management and make our financial reports easier to understand and use. Ray has also been involved in stewardship of our preserves. They will both be very much missed.
Please vote to approve adding Bumper White to the Land Trust’s Board of Directors via our survey.
Annual Meeting 2019
Each year we ask the Land Trust membership to approve the minutes from the prior year’s annual meeting. The minutes are available below, as well as the 2019 Financial Report. Both are downloadable PDF’s. You may vote to accept both of those items, and vote on the new Director at the survey on the link below.
The Phippsburg Land Trust’s fiscal health remains strong, although the 2020 pandemic, and its related economic downturn, has affected our income from donations in 2020. The 2019 report, below, reflects the first full year of our switch to a January to December fiscal year, a change we made for greater efficiency in maintaining our financial books. New this year is our ability to report fund balances for each of the restricted funds (designated for specific preserves or projects) we maintain. Again, much thanks are due to Ray Nowak, who has worked very hard as Treasurer to ensure the Board is well informed. The financial report can be found here.
