Please join us at the Annual Meeting

Sunday 3/17/24, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Albany JCC, 340 Whitehall Road

Dear Friends of Buckingham Pond:

As we embark on another year of advocacy and action on behalf of our beloved Buckingham Pond, we would like to take the opportunity to report on the activities of the Conservancy over the course of 2023. With the help of volunteers, the City of Albany and Neighborhood Specialist Alex Word, your generous donations, and membership fees, we made progress on several short- and long-term projects:

• Launched the new and improved Buckingham Pond Conservancy website!
• Initiated a Park Steward pilot program, where we members volunteer to individually maintain sections of the trail and report back to the Board on work completed.
• Held successful Spring and Fall Cleanups, which brought together more than 40 volunteers to help keep the pond
  and park at its best, and planted tulip bulbs in the parking circle (thanks once again to DGS).
• Board member Mark Schlessman has been leading efforts to manage the garlic mustard near Rafts Way & Milner Avenue.
• For the sixth year in a row, we’ve completed water quality testing through the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program, gaining further insight into what drives water quality issues at the pond.
• Hosted annual Ice Cream Social in the fall, gathering visitors and neighbors to enjoy the pond.
• Applied for a Review Foundation grant to develop new educational initiatives, signage, and workshops.
• Our Playground Steward, Al Lawrence, advocated on behalf of our playground with the Department of Recreation to keep the playground in good shape.
• Working with Eagle Scout EJ Verhoff and with the financial support of DGS, sign panels have been updated and
  a new sign installed at Rafts Way. The BPC is working on signage for those panels to tell the ecological story of the pond.
• Coordinated with the City of Albany DGS, Department of Recreation, and our Neighborhood Specialist (Alex Word) to provide maintenance services at the pond. Our advocacy led to work to trim invasives and overgrowth, repair the path, provide a portable restroom, and more.

In an ever increasing digital world, we all find reprieve in the beauty of the pond and park. We look for your support to find ways to continue working together in 2024 to keep Buckingham Pond beautiful. And of course, we continue to foster strong relationships with City departments and the Pond’s neighbors. Here are some ways you can help.

• Get Informed / Get Connected – Join us at the In-Person Annual Meeting on Sunday 3/17, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
  at Albany JCC, 340 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12208. Or attend our next monthly Virtual Board Meeting on the fourth Monday of every month; please let us know at [email protected] if you would like to join, and we will send you the meeting link.
• Share Your Skills / Join a Work Day / Become a Park Steward / Join the Board – We can use all kinds of help and are particularly looking for people with skills in social media, ecology, landscape or environmental engineering, and grant writing. If you’d like to join the board, reach out to us no less than 15 days prior to the Annual Meeting. The slate of current Board Members whose terms expire in 2024 and are running for election are Gabi Sarhos, Felton McLaughlin, Grace Bennett, Marsha Penrose, Anne Savage, and Mark Schlessman. Or, if you’re more comfortable around plants, we need your help planting and removing invasive species; consider volunteering for our work days; or become a Park Steward an work outdoors at your own pace.
• Join or Renew – We hope that you believe in what we are doing and will support the Conservancy with a $25/person
  tax-deductible annual membership donation (or more if you can!). Our membership year runs April 1 to March 31,
  so if you are a current member, it’s time to renew. You can join online at https://buckinghampondconservancy.org/support/become-a-member/ or you can mail in a check and renewal slip.

As ever, your contributions of time and of money are the key to keeping Buckingham Pond thriving for generations to come.
If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. We look forward to working with you to help our pond.

Thanks for your continued support!

Gabi Sarhos
President
Buckingham Pond Conservancy