Behold the Beauty Within Us

Friends of The Wildlands Conservancy,

In early 2020 our world shut down—our schools, small businesses, little league and soccer games, theaters and restaurants closed. Masks hide our identities and social distancing robs us of hugs and the warmth of our humanity.

Seeking a respite from the tension of confinement, families, senior citizens, and young lovers flocked in unimaginable record numbers to our spacious nature preserves to behold the beauty, colors, and scents of the seasons. Like a kind mother calling her children home, urban families who had become estranged from the natural world, were mysteriously beckoned back to the earth and rejoiced with a heart-felt happiness on our scenic mountain, valley, river, desert, and oceanfront trails.

Some came to our preserves in quiet solitude to mourn a loved one and to leave ashes and flowers at a familiar old oak or rock outcropping. Some came to regain the heart-content freedom that one feels amid heroic untamed landscapes. Nearly everyone found beauty that mirrored the beauty within them and remembered this wondrous experience of being human.

Through this pandemic The Wildlands Conservancy has retained all our passionate staff, remained frugal but strong, and we are resolute to keep our preserves open for free to share the gift of nature with each of you, our visitors. We are grateful for your gifts throughout the year that have allowed us to expand our Preserve System into Bodie Hills and continue our important work.  

As we close out the year, we ask that you consider our troubled communities and those whose livelihoods have been severely harmed by the pandemic so that, during this season of gratitude and giving, we may strengthen the bonds of love that bind us to each other.

Behold the Beauty!

David Myers
President