In 2020 all of our lives were upturned and affected in unimaginable ways. And while there was much beyond our control, our small corner of the world at Buckingham Pond brought joy and solace to many. We can all imagine or have felt a parent’s joy in watching a child’s surprise at spotting a snapping turtle; or a stride around a chilly fall morning. These moments brought us together in our shared separated experiences of a pond and park we all love.

Despite the difficulties, with the help of volunteers, the City of Albany Department of General Services (DGS), your generous donations, and membership fees, we oversaw the completion of several projects:

»  Garlic mustard removal and native plantings in the park grounds near Rafts Way & Milner Avenue
»  New bench in memory of Jack Almy (thanks DGS and the Elks Lodge #49 for their generous contributions)
»  Tulip plantings in the parking circle (thanks DGS/Jess Morgan for the 200 bulbs)
»  Progress towards a new BPC website (thanks to all the photographers/members for their images)
»  Outreach to City of Albany for addressing dead tree removals and educational tree tagging around the pond
»  Completion of the 2020 CSLAP water testing program—a.k.a. Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program

We’re proud of our 2020 accomplishments and are looking forward to 2021. This coming year will see more improvements to the park (tree tags) and additional improvements aimed at improving the ecology of the pond, including additional native plantings and invasive species removals. And of course, we will continue to foster strong relationships with City departments and the Pond’s neighbors.

But we can’t do it without the support of the people who care about the pond. How can you help?

• Get Informed / Get Connected – Join us at the Virtual Annual Meeting on Sunday 4/25, 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. via Zoom,
  or attend our next Virtual Board Meeting on Monday 4/26 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Please let us know at info@buckinghampondconservancy.org if you would like to join, and we will send you the meeting link.
• Share Your Skills / Join a Work Day – We can use all kinds of help and are particularly looking for people with skills in social media, marketing, ecology, environmental engineering, grant writing and web development. If you’re more comfortable around plants, we need your help planting and removing invasive species; consider volunteering for socially-distanced Spring Clean-up on Sunday May 2 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. We will follow up with instructions and work plan.
• 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 or renew online or you can mail a check to PO Box 8352 Albany, NY 12208.
• Join the Board – If you are a dues-paying member of the Conservancy and are interested in becoming a Board Member, you may email to info@buckinghampondconservancy.org no later than April 10, 2021 your name and a statement of interest to stand for election. Eligible candidates will be placed in nomination at the Annual Meeting of the Conservancy on April 25, 2021. The slate of current Board Members whose terms expire in 2021 and are running for re-election include:
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  Nancy Costello, Secretary
  Jeanette Carioto, Treasurer
  Kate Carleo, Member-at-Large
  Ted Kolankowski, Member-at-Large
  Laura Shaddak, Member-at-Large

As ever, your contributions of time and of money are the key to keeping Buckingham Pond thriving for generations to come. Please contact me at info@buckinghampondconservancy.org. I look forward to working with you to help our pond.

Thanks for your continued support!

Gabi Sarhos
President
Buckingham Pond Conservancy