Dear Members of Block Island Conservancy:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to announce our 2011 Annual Meeting. We are privileged to have as our guest speaker this year Janet Coit, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Janet has worked for over 20 years on environmental matters. Before moving to the RIDEM at the beginning of this year, she worked for 10 years at The Nature Conservancy, serving most recently as that organization’s Rhode Island state director and overseeing some of Rhode Island’s largest land conservation projects. Prior to joining TNC, she was counsel and environmental coordinator in the Providence office of the late Senator John Chafee and, subsequently, then-Senator Lincoln Chafee. She moved to Rhode Island in 1997, making a transition from her position as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, where she worked on national environmental policy.

Janet has been a champion for the environment throughout her decades of environmental and legal service, including stints at the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice, and working for three U.S. Senators from New England. From her earlier work in the U.S. Senate, to her decade with The Nature Conservancy, and now at the RIDEM, Janet has worked closely with islanders on many issues over the years, and holds Block Island close to her heart.

The meeting will take place on October 2nd, the Sunday before Columbus Day weekend, starting at 3:00 PM at the Saint Andrew Parish Center on Spring Street. We will begin with a brief business agenda including a review of the activities of the past year, election of directors to the Board, and consideration of a few changes to the bylaws (please see the detailed description of the changes accompanying this letter by downloading letter above), and conclude with a reception following Janet’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 2nd.

Best regards,
Stephen Record
President

Dear Members of Block Island Conservancy:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to announce our 2010 Annual Meeting. You may recall that last year our intended guest speaker, Jack Reed, the senior senator from Rhode Island, was unable to travel to the island on the day of the meeting because of a serious storm. Fortunately, Senator Reed has agreed to try again, and we are looking forward to welcoming him for real 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 environmental 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 time of this year’s meeting once again depart from tradition. In order to accommodate Senator Reed’s overflowing schedule, the meeting will take place on October 17th, the Sunday after Columbus Day, at 1:00 PM. We will begin with a brief business agenda to elect 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 17th.

Best regards,
Stephen Record

9/2010 Letter to Members

Sunday, October 18, 2009
St Andrews Parish Center
Guest Speaker: Senator Jack Reed

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.