Rooted in the Watershed

In Hollows, Peepers & Highlanders: an Appalachian Mountain Ecology, George Constantz writes of his good fortune coming upon a lady’s-slipper. He explains in wonderful detail how "colossally improbable" it is to find this plant in the watershed’s woods because of its complicated pollination and growing cycle. Some lady’s-slippers seeds can be as tiny as one-hundredth of an inch! A member of the orchid family, there are 110 species of lady’s-slippers worldwide, and according to George, "not ancestral to any other group of orchids." This species went out on its own -- "an evolutionary tangent that preserved its own unique features."

Perhaps some thought it was "colossally improbable" back in 1990 that six landowners in the Cacapon and Lost Rivers watershed would succeed in growing a local land trust to protect the watershed from development harm. Thirty years later, the Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust is firmly planted in the watershed protecting more than 14,000 acres of farms, forests, waterways, and open space. Our success stems from upholding our organization’s unique features and values.

We have a familial appreciation for farmers and forest owners in this watershed, a deep and abiding concern for protecting the rural experience. Our core values of respect, integrity, stewardship, collaborative leadership, and excellence have helped germinate scores of lasting and impactful partnerships. These partnerships continue to result in protecting healthy waters and wildlife, productive farms, and forests. We are a land trust rooted in the soil and soul of this watershed.

Our 2020-2025 Healing Waters Strategic Plan continues our evolution as an organization dedicated to protecting the natural resources of the Cacapon and Lost Rivers watershed. You can read more about our goals for the next five years here. We welcome your support.

Thank you.
Jennifer Jones
Executive Director

 

Lady's slipper photo by George Constantz

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