By Carolyn Foote Edelman
D&R Greenway Land Trust honored Sophie Glovier, a “living example of Gandhi’s declaration, ‘my life is my message,’” with its 2011 Donald B. Jones Conservation Award at the annual Greenway Gala, on Sept. 11 at its Johnson Education Center in Princeton.
More than 250 attended the ceremony to recognize Ms. Glovier and to celebrate D&R Greenway’s achievements in preserving central New Jersey’s landscape.
Ms. Glovier was lauded for her personal commitment to the environment that inspires others to act. A “quiet rebel,” she embodies the “Power of One,” observed Gigi Goldman of the Garden Club of Princeton, in which Sophie is an active member. Ms. Goldman talked about the impact of one person’s action, “like a stone thrown into water, with a ripple effect that is far and deep.”
Former D&R Greenway trustee and close friend Fred Gaskin spoke of introducing Sophie to the organization, “I knew that her interests were a perfect match but couldn’t have imagined all she has come to accomplish., he said.
Ms. Glovier’s work exemplifies the principle that the personal experience of nature inspires the commitment to care for it. Her efforts reach people as individuals, yet resound throughout the community.
She created Meredith’s Garden of Inspiration at the Johnson Education Center, demonstrating the beauty of native plants in the landscape, and wrote the guide book, “Walk The Trails In and Around Princeton” (with proceeds donated to support land preservation).
A former D&R Greenway trustee and staff member, and current trustee of Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and Friends of Princeton Open Space, Ms. Glovier joined with D&R Greenway to lead fundraising efforts to preserve the St. Michaels Farm Preserve in Hopewell, and to add to Princeton’s Woodfield Reserve. She is the proponent behind Princeton’s BYOBag Campaign. Gala attendees were given cloth D&R Greenway shopping bags in her honor.
The 10th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 was a particularly fitting day on which to honor individual efforts that create community, and to call attention to nature as healer.
After Scott McVay’s reading of a poem from “Earth Prayers,” Alan Hershey, chair of the board of trustees, spoke to a hushed crowd.
”Ten years ago today we suffered as a people, and today we are healed as a people,” he said. On that dark day, the board considered canceling its Sept. 12 meeting. But it didn’t. Instead the board decided to be together as colleagues who shared a love for the land around them.
”Our connection to common pursuits, and to each other, is a healing force,” Mr. Hershey observed.
At that Sept. 12, 2001 board meeting, D&R Greenway re-dedicated itself to “making a difference” by preserving and caring for land, making it accessible for people to connect with the healing of nature, and by promoting a conservation ethic. Over the last 10 years, that re-dedication resulted in preserving 10,000 more acres, adding up, in 2011, to more than 15,000 total acres preserved; building 20 miles of trails on preserved land; establishing an ever-increasing number of innovative programs; and, creating a place of permanence and inspiration by opening the Johnson Education Center in 2006, surrounded by Greenway Meadows park (created by D&R Greenway and partners including Princeton Township in 2001).
Several initiatives expand the D&R Greenway community from the wooded suburban and rural landscape of central New Jersey to urban areas. D&R Greenway recently restored a 5-acre area of Cadwalader Park in Trenton, where in 2012 it will dedicate the Charles Evans Native Plant Garden. Under a new Native Seed Production Program, 25,000 plants representing 13 species of locally-adapted native grasses and wildflowers are being grown at the St. Michaels Farm Preserve. These seeds will create new life in New York City by re-greening barren landfills.
Organizations like D&R Greenway do great big things because individuals do great little things. “How can just one person make a difference? Pick one thing, and do it well,” counseled Linda Mead, president & CEO of D&R Greenway.
D&R Greenway’s strength is that of a community of creative, innovative thinkers — staff, trustees and volunteers — and numerous partners and supporters, many of whom attended the gala. Lynn Ebeling, with her husband Tom, was there to support an organization that, “not only preserves land, but, just as important, makes it accessible.” Ms. Ebeling is originally from Pittsburgh, where the nearby Allegheny National Forest was “vast, beautiful but inaccessible. There were no trails to experience its natural beauty.”
Providing people — especially children — with direct experience of nature is fundamental to preserving open space. Slated for opening on Oct. 22, D&R Greenway’s Charles Evans’ Children’s Discovery Trail encourages children to develop a love for nature through exploration and play. Linda J. Munson, president of The Charles Evans’ Foundation, which funded the trail, said, “As children we learn that when you love something, it’s your responsibility to take care of it. When you care for land, you are caring for your community — for everyone else who benefits from the land.”
Preserving open space benefits the community not only by protecting wildlife habitat, water quality and quality of life, but also by “reducing taxes that would have resulted from development,” noted Rich Goldman, former chair of the Greenway’s board of trustees.
Russell J. Furnari, manager of environmental policy, PSEG Services Corp., commented, “PSEG and the D&R Greenway have enjoyed a long partnership focused on the shared goal of protecting and enhancing New Jersey’s open spaces. The staff, board and volunteers at D&R Greenway are all committed to building a lasting legacy for future generations of New Jerseyeans and PSEG looks forward to continuing this partnership.”
D&R Greenway will continue to engage this “community of doers” to make a difference. As Ms. Glovier noted — quietly — “It’s not over. There’s still more land to be preserved and more trails to be built.”
