Steers applauded for years devoted to Little Compton preservation

LITTLE COMPTON, R.I. — On July 10, Heather Steers retired from the board of Sakonnet Preservation, the organization she shaped for 27 years. There is scarcely a place one could look in Little Compton that Heather hasn’t left better than she found it.

Knowing a good thing when they saw it, Sakonnet Preservation asked Steers to join its board shortly after she moved full time to Little Compton in 1991. She immediately said “yes” and proceeded to take on a variety of leadership roles over the next 27 years. In 2012, the Rhode Island Land Trust Council awarded Heather its Peter Merritt Award for “outstanding achievement in the land trust community.”

At its annual meeting this year, over 130 attendees laughed and applauded as Abigail Brooks, SPA board president, led a group honoring Steers' accomplishments. “To represent the things you were looking forward to removing from your car after all these years, we present you with a hammer and rebar for boundary marking; a property binder; orange spray paint; a metal detector for finding bounds; a sprig of wisteria representing the work tackling a wicked invasive specie; and a supply of Post-It notes representing the many notes you’ve left in binders.” On a more serious note, she also announced that the organization’s Land Protection Fund has been re-named the Heather Steers Land Fund.

Steers’ gift to both the conservation community and her hometown is a legacy of land protection and stewardship practice of the highest quality, recognized at the statewide and national levels. Sakonnet Preservation is deeply indebted to Steers for her profound commitment to the work of this organization. Her contributions have helped SPA fulfill its mission with the utmost integrity, quality and diligence, and she will be missed.

The Sakonnet Preservation Association has dedicated the efforts of its all-volunteer board of directors to fulfilling its mission of conserving and stewarding Little Compton’s natural landscapes and resources. These efforts, supported entirely by annual membership donations and gifts as well as the generosity of donors of land and conservation easements, have resulted in the permanent preservation of over 60 properties totaling 457 acres of Little Compton land.

SPA was founded in 1972 as the first private, community land trust in Rhode Island. It is fully accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.