Giving Rye is a new occasional feature highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Clare Francis of Friends of Marshlands (FOM).
Your Name: Clare Francis
Organization: Friends of Marshlands (FOM)
Your role: President
MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission.
Francis: Friends of Marshlands, Inc., is a nonprofit volunteer organization that supports the Marshlands Conservancy, a wildlife sanctuary and nature preserve owned and operated by the Westchester County Department of
Parks, Recreation and Conservation. We are dedicated to promoting the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the Conservancy, fostering a deeper understanding of nature, and working to sustainably mitigate the effects of climate change.
How long have you operated in Rye?
Francis: FOM was founded in 1978. Marshlands Conservancy lies between Boston Road and Milton Harbor, bordering the Rye Golf Club, the Jay Heritage Center, and the Greenhaven neighborhood in Rye.
We advocate for a management process that preserves the wildlife habitat, historic character, air and water quality, and restorative nature of the land. Membership and volunteer donations help in funding educational programs, purchasing equipment, maintaining the Nature Center and grounds, assisting in the expansion of the Marshlands Conservancy through the purchase of adjoining parcels of land, and encouraging the support of the Marshlands Conservancy by county officials.
Looking back across 2023, what were your organization’s top achievements?
Francis: Activities FOM has supported or initiated through 2023:
- Funded the cost of mowing the meadow every spring
- Funded the cost of a new prefab garage to house the Conservancy’s ATV
- Funded Exhibits for children and adults
- Funded design for a new visitor center exhibition
- Funded curatorial professional development
- Funded Education and Research for visitors, scientists, and academics
- Created the FOM website and database
- Funded the charting for and creation of the Marshlands Trail Map
- Advocated for Marshlands interests at County and other Public Meetings, especially for County funding for an assistant curator.
- Funded summer camp supplies including two large sturdy canopies that shelter our camp groups
- Funded herbarium preparation supplies for plant specimens collected at Marshlands
What local Rye residents and area businesses have been the longest, steadiest supporters of your organization?
Francis: Our board comprises a group of individuals dedicated to helping regenerate and promote a healthy ecosystem at Marshlands Conservancy:
- Vice President David Styler, a former member of the Mamaroneck Committee For The Environment, and a retired CUNY faculty member;
- Secretary Gail Benson, a retired executive of Girl Scouts of the USA, who has served on the FOM board of directors since 2016;
- Treasurer Jean Taplett, a former president of the Little Garden Club of Rye, who retired in 2019 from the Government Treasury division at JPMorgan;
- Founding member and former Treasurer Tom Burke, who retired from public accounting to devote his time to outdoor activities, especially birding, and is a long-time member of the New York State Avian Records Committee;
- Aaron Levine, who teaches 7th and 8th graders for the NYC Board of Education;
- Chris Graseck, a former president of FOM who teaches middle school biology and chemistry and high school biology at the Stamford Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy.
We work as a team in collaboration with Michael Gambino, our very well organized, thoughtful and professional curator at Marshlands Conservancy, and with the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Michael has an intimate knowledge of the Conservancy, and as a close observer of the seasonal and climatic changes now occurring in the Conservancy, develops essential plans to implement adaptation measures for the future benefit of the different Marshlands ecosystems.
He also creates programs for the education and enjoyment of visitors to Marshlands Conservancy, directs the summer camp for children, and so much more. As Michael says, “Stay tuned for more exciting projects the Friends will be a part of at Marshlands.”
Looking forward to 2024, what will be your top initiatives?
Francis: Goals for 2024:
- Funding the planting of native understory shrubs that supply food and shelter to wildlife at Marshlands Conservancy;
- Funding assessment of the meadow for invasive species control;
- Funding the construction of camera posts in designated locales so that visitors can track seasonal changes through their own photography.
Tell us about you.
How long have you been in your current role?
I have been on the Board of Friends of Marshlands since March 2016, and I have been president of the Board since January 2022. I have always had an enduring fascination and love for the natural world, ever since I climbed trees in my garden as a child growing up in London.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
I have had an association with Marshlands Conservancy since 1995, when I was trained as a VIP (Volunteer in the Park), an ecology enrichment program that was part of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. It was created for 1st – 4th graders, with a pre-trip in the classroom and then a visit to Marshlands Conservancy. This training became the basis of my learning about ecology and its many interlinked parts. As a noted African environmentalist, Baba Dioum, has written, “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.”
I began my professional life after attending art school in London. Following my education, I moved to New York City where I worked as an art director. However, the work that endures is a series of posters I designed early on in my career for Amnesty International USA, one of which was selected to be among 50 posters from submissions worldwide that were exhibited in London to celebrate Amnesty International’s 50th Anniversary.
I always marvel at this truly miraculous planet we live on. I feel very lucky to find joy in simply watching the ever-changing activities in our natural world. This deep attachment I wish to express and share with others. Our board members share this deep attachment also, which is expressed in their own unique ways.
Thanks, Clare!
