Apr 23, 2021
Our guest Gloria Parkinson started off in farmland preservation the way so many do….unintentionally. She ties her desire for making her muse Rauscher Farm an accessible and immersive experience to the work she performs as trustee to the Clinton Library.
Gloria got her start in the theatre. With the help of numerous neighbors in this New England mill town they embarked on a grassroots campaign nearly fifteen years ago that culminated in a majority of Clintonians voting to preserve the 60+ acres of Rauscher Farm from the development of single family homes.
Take note. Not only did they do this the ‘old-fashioned way’ through democratic means. They did so by articulating the potential economics that come with suburban sprawl: A single-family home development requiring much in new infrastructure that will never be able to pay for said infrastructure.
What was saved? Habitat in transition. the remnants of a farm and way of life that was THE way of life in New England not so long ago. A Dairy that was operational until very recently.
Their conservation work since designation as a conservation land has included habitat improvement, research and tacking major issues of physical and intellectual accessibility. Some of this means lots of hands and knees, digging out invasive species….and asking important questions with rigor.
Learn from our episode what it takes to accomplish a similar long-term project in your community. What it really takes to go the long game and why it can be one of the most remarkable and meaningful things you can do with your time.