New Hampshire's largest conservation event was a huge success with more than 240 participants and 16 exhibitors. More than 35 workshops covered topics such as 'Basic Conservation Options and Tax Benefits'; 'Lobbying, Publicity and Advocacy for Land Conservation'; 'Impact of Commercial Development on Property Taxes'; and, 'Making the Most of Your Town’s Conservation Dollars'.
 |
| Participants at the 2010 Saving Special Places event break for lunch and networking |
Lew Feldstein, the 24-year President of the NH Charitable Foundation, was this year's keynote speaker. His message: as successful as we are, as much land as we have saved from development, we need to "do more - saving land alone is not enough." What is before us, he said, as he stared into a crowd of virtually entirely caucasian faces, "is about more than saving land, it's about saving people." I believe his point, specifically, was that there is a critical need for a major paradigm shift in the way society values its own, and thus the land that feeds us, clothes us, and shelters us. We can save all the open space we want, but if we don't take care of the people as well, it won't matter how much land we save.
