Westchester Land Trust (WLT) held their annual fundraiser honoring women in conservation on June 17, 2017 at their headquarters at Sugar Hill Farm, in Bedford Hills, NY. The event paid tribute to the contributions of three women who have been key to WLT’s success over the past 29 years: Susan Carpenter (who won the Lifetime Achievement Award) and Norma Silva and Aimée Whitman (who were honored with Preservation Angel Awards).
Guests gathered for dinner and dancing, and enjoyed the land’s natural beauty. As Bruce Churchill, Chairman of the Board of Westchester Land Trust, said in his opening remarks, “Many of you here tonight undoubtedly associate Westchester Land Trust with the beautiful expanses of woodlands, farms, wetlands, and meadows that we see through much of the county. Achieving these results may look effortless because the land remains just as it always was.”
Watson’s Catering of Greenwich, CT created a menu that included the early season bounty of several local farms and producers, including Sugar Hill Farm. An educational video about the importance of the work done by WLT was premiered and kicked-off a entertaining live auction led by charismatic Bedford-native, and son of honoree Aimée, Cutler Whitman.
Among those who attended Celebrating Women in Conservation were New York State Senator George Latimer, Bedford Town Supervisor Chris Burdick, and Lewisboro Town Supervisor, Peter Parsons. Also in attendance were Andrew Bowman, President of the Land Trust Alliance, and leaders from regional and local conservation organizations.
Funds raised through the Annual Benefit support WLT’s efforts to protect environmentally significant land and to steward and manage the 29 public preserves it owns.
Photos by David Steele
