Dear Members of Block Island Conservancy:
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to announce our 2009 Annual Meeting. We are indeed fortunate to have Jack Reed, the senior senator from Rhode Island, as our guest speaker this year. Senator Reed is very well regarded for his work to protect the environment and preserve our natural resources. His conservation efforts have earned him high marks from leading environment groups and helped clean up and preserve Rhode Island’s open spaces, beaches, and Narragansett Bay. He is a strong supporter of energy efficiency, renewable energy initiatives and access to alternative fuels. Senator Reed is also an outspoken proponent of environmental education and the author of the No Child Left Inside Act, a recent $100 million per year initiative to reconnect children with nature and strengthen environmental education. His talk will focus on both conservation and energy issues of current and future concern to Block Island.
Please note that both the date and the time of this year’s meeting depart from tradition. In order to accommodate Senator Reed’s overflowing schedule, the meeting will take place on October 18th, the Sunday after Columbus Day, at 1:00 PM. We will begin with a brief business agenda to elect new directors to the Board and review the activities of the past year, and conclude with a reception following Senator Reed’s talk. As always we are extremely grateful for your support and encouragement, and very much look forward to seeing you and hearing your thoughts on October 18th.
Best regards,
Stephen Record

BIC Annual Meeting took place on Sunday, October 12, 2008. The focus of this year's meeting was on protecting community character with an emphasis on historical places, land and buildings. The morning of the meeting members of the community and of BIC were invited to meet , BIC Stewardship Chair, Peter Greenman, at the Hodge Family Preserve to walk different trails on the Island.  The annual meeting contained a short business agenda to elect new directors to the Board and to review the progress during the past year, followed by two speakers.  The guest speakers included Valerie Talmage and Richard Youngken.  Valerie is the Executive Director of Preserve Rhode Island, the statewide organization dedicated to protecting historic structures and unique places in Rhode Island.  Richard is the Executive Director of the Dunn Foundation, a private foundation committed to youth and adult education on the visual environment and the appearances of communities and landscapes.  Both speakers, have a rich experience and background in land conservation, neighborhood and community design, and saving cultural and historical assets.  They spoke about protecting community character; land and buildings, with particular attention to Block Island and the list of historic sites around the island. …click here for an article of the meeting covered by the Block Island Times.