My Nonprofit Reviews

I recently retired from teaching high school where I was also the adviser for the Ecology Club. Looking for useful projects, I contacted CSERC and the club was able to join many of the projects that they organized, such as stream bank restoration, meadow restoration, rehabilitation of illegal OHV trails, trash cleanup, and fence building to keep cattle out of sensitive meadows. The staff at CSERC was always very friendly, helpful and encouraging. They always let the students know how much their help was appreciated, and they were careful to explain the purpose of each project. Quite a few of my students have decided to pursue degrees in Natural Resources, and it is clear to me that the CSERC staff members served as excellent role models.

Over the years I have also come to appreciate the role CSERC plays as a watch-dog agency for the oversight of development and logging projects in our area. On several occasions I have attended meetings where John Buckley, the executive director, had to face very angry, contentious people who have no patience with environmentalists and who are used to getting their way. In every case, John calmly and courteously presented the facts and environmental principles behind his reasoning, whether it be the problems with over-grazing, the effects of clear-cutting practices, or the problems with unlimited OHV access to forest lands. John always treats his opponents with respect and looks for common ground and compromise. He supports logging practices that leave a healthy forest and a vibrant ecosystem. He supports housing projects that don’t contribute to sprawling sub-developments, but rather fill in spaces between existing developments. He does not oppose OHV use, but seeks sensible regulations that don’t lead to resource degradation.

Our community is truly blessed to have CSERC working for our interests. I have seen the results of unchecked development in neighboring counties – sprawling sub-developments, unregulated OHV use, clear-cut logging practices – and I am SO grateful that CSERC is here to establish a degree of moderation and a vision of sustainability.

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