OUR LAND. OUR LEGACY. - Western Reserve Land Conservancy

OUR LAND. OUR LEGACY.

OUR LAND. OUR LEGACY. 

P.O. Box 314 · Novelty, Ohio 44072 • Phone: 440-729-9621 • Fax: 440-729-9631 

e-mail: info@wrlc.cc • www.wrlc.cc 

FIELD OFFICES: 

Akron Field Office 

34 Merz Boulevard, Suite G, Akron, Ohio 44333 • Phone: 330-836-2271 • Fax: 330-836-2272 

Medina Field Office 

141 Prospect Street, Medina, Ohio 44258 • Phone: 330-722-7313 • Fax: 330-722-6592 

Firelands Field Office 

P.O. Box 174, Oberlin, Ohio 44074 • Phone: 440-774-4226 • Fax: 440-774-6409 

“The world was not left to us by our parents. 

It was lent to us by our children.” 

AFRICAN PROVERB 

OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES 

James C. Spira 

Chair 

Julia S. Bolton 

Vice Chair 

Richard S. Grimm 

Vice Chair 

J. Jeffrey Holland 

Vice Chair 

Sandra Pickut McMannis 

Vice Chair 

William C. Mulligan 

Vice Chair 

Richard C. Hyde 

Treasurer 

James G. Watterson 

Secretary 

Edward F. Meyers 

Assistant Secretary 

Ned Baker 

Dick Brubaker 

Owen M. Colligan 

Evan R. Corns 

C. Beau Daane 

Stanley L. Fischer 

James Gerspacher 

Robert N. Gudbranson 

David Halstead 

Rick Hawksley 

Elizabeth Juliano 

Kathy Keare Leavenworth 

John D. Leech 

James R. Levine 

Kathryn L. Makley 

S. Sterling McMillan, IV 

Marion Olson 

Gordon Oney 

Todd R. Ray 

Franz Sauerland 

Thomas J. Schultz 

Michael R. Shaughnessy 

Donna L. Studniarz 

Grant M. Thompson 

Tracy Wallach 

Norman Webb 

Richard D. Cochran 

President & CEO 

DONOR REPORT · JULY 1, 2006-JUNE 30, 2007 

STAFF 

Dennis Bower 

Eddie Dengg 

Jean Gokorsch 

Scott Hill 

Janet Hoover 

Dawn Hummer 

Bill Jordan 

Carla Macklin 

Pete McDonald 

Andy McDowell 

Ed Meyers 

Anne Murphy 

Julia Musson 

Katie Outcalt 

Bob Owen 

Gina Pausch 

Kate Pilacky 

Mark Skowronski 

Amy Terpay 

Kim Van Sickler 

Leah Whidden 

On the cover: photo by Connie Oney

Who Is Our Customer 

Dear Friends, 

Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC) recently engaged in a debate 

to answer the question, “Who is our customer” All businesses need to constantly 

clarify who their customer is, and yet so often we get caught up in the thick of thin 

things and neglect this critical task. This year, we took the time to engage in this 

discussion, and it produced excellent results. Everybody had a different answer. 

Some people said, the communities we serve. Others said the landowners with whom 

we work. Some said, our donors and members. Another 

said, why nature, of course! No one customer on our list 

stood out as a concept around which we could focus 

our work. So we expanded our thinking and ultimately 

produced a more focused answer. We decided that our 

customer is your great-great granddaughter. 

Your great-great granddaughter is a person 

you probably will not know, but if you live a long 

life you will probably know her mother, your great 

granddaughter. Consequently, it is entirely possible 

for you to think of her as a person important to you, a 

person you would treasure and love if you were lucky 

enough to know her. As close as she is to you, your 

great-great granddaughter also represents a distant 

future. If you view great-great granddaughters in 

terms of how many years of a family’s generational 

history they represent, they symbolize 100 years, give 

or take. 

Imagine the world of your great-great granddaughter. Imagine the 

world of 2050 or 2100. Your great-great granddaughter will wake up in a home 

somewhere in the Western Reserve. She will have selected this home. She will 

choose some form of transportation to get to her job. Her job will be a position 

that she will pick for herself. After work, she will walk along a beautiful forested 

parkway from her home into a natural area along a beautiful glacial river that flows 

into Lake Erie. She will breathe deeply; she will relax; her worries will slip away. 

She will be nourished by this natural area only if her great-great grandparents 

choose to save it for her. 

She is our customer, because if we do not serve her today, she won’t 

be well-served in the future. It is difficult to serve a person who does not yet 

live. Consequently, we have to serve a lot of interim customers to be effective. 

But by understanding who our real customer is, we can make better decisions, 

we can achieve more focus, and we can ultimately have a transforming effect 

on our region. 

You are one of our interim customers. You may be a donor, you may be a 

partner, you may be another kind of constituent, but one way or another we view 

you as an important (albeit interim) customer of ours. Without you, we cannot 

serve your great-great granddaughter, and without us, you may not be able to serve 

her. The mutual benefit aspect of our work is powerful. A donor once said to us, “I 

cannot advance my personal values and goals without WRLC, but by supporting 

your work I can. I want to thank you for advancing my 

values.” This attitude is humbling and also farsighted. 

Against that backdrop, we wish to introduce the 2007 

Annual Report to our Donors. 

We are grateful to report that WRLC once 

again enjoyed a remarkable year. (Our fiscal year 

ends on June 30 th each year, so fiscal year 2007 ended 

on June 30, 2007.) Our results appear on the following 

pages, so we will not burden you with a recap here. 

But we do wish to recognize a few people before 

we close. As you know, our mission is about nature, 

but our work is about people. Our logo (and indeed 

our organization) represents the nexus of nature and 

people. Our customer is a person who does not yet 

live, and yet she is partnering with people who live 

today, the nexus of past and present. 

We therefore wish to thank all of the 

conservationists who have come before us, most 

notably William Stinchcomb who founded Cleveland Metroparks 100 years ago, 

and whose example proves that you can transform the lives of your great-great 

grandchildren. Second, our professional staff who work so hard and produce 

excellent results, always with a smile and laugh, no matter how tough it gets. Third, 

our board of trustees, who govern us, lead us, and inspire us. Fourth, all of our donors 

and partners, without whom we would not exist, and with whom we can serve our 

customer, advance your values, and help to transform our landscape. 

Thank you! 

James C. Spira, 

Chair 

Richard D. Cochran, 

President and CEO 

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MISSION STATEMENT 

Western Reserve Land Conservancy seeks to preserve the scenic beauty, rural character, 

and natural resources of Northern Ohio. 

VISION STATEMENT 

Photo by 

Connie Oney 

There is nothing more beautiful than a crisp fall day in Northern Ohio: the sun 

shimmering on our great Lake Erie; the red and yellow leaves of a beech maple forest; the 

long views of crop and pasture land framed by towering forests; and the gentle murmuring 

rivers that run through our glacial landscape. We love the Western Reserve. It is where we 

rear our children and where our hearts reside. 

Our vision is that today, a decade from now, and beyond the time that we can imagine, 

the Western Reserve will be a stunningly beautiful and healthy place. An authentic place 

filled with breathtaking scenic views, abundant clean rivers and lakes, miles and miles of 

connected trails for hiking, biking, skiing, and horseback riding; and an accessible, clean 

and safe great lake for world class fishing, swimming, and boating. 

Development will be concentrated in historic urban areas such as Cleveland and Akron, 

in historic Western Reserve villages such as Chagrin Falls, Brecksville, and Bay Village and, as 

needed, in new areas that promote sustainable, community-oriented development. Working 

farms will flourish, supported by local markets that provide healthy and fresh produce that 

connects citizens to the land in a tangible, enduring way. Parks and preserves will provide 

people with a special connection to the land, a safe place where children can play, and a 

quality of life that attracts and retains as residents a great diversity of people. 

WRLC inspires citizens throughout our region in the effort to protect land and water 

resources to positively impact our collective quality of life; to create a habitat that serves 

people. We envision a healthy, efficient, and scenic landscape, a patchwork quilt of large 

natural areas connected by wildlife and river corridors, a beautiful region interspersed with 

well-planned agricultural, residential, retail, and commercial development that supports 

the people of our region now and forever. 

Programs 

THE LAND PROTECTION PLANNING PROGRAM – This Geographic 

Information System (GIS)-driven program yields a set of parcels that, if 

protected, assures the realization of our goal of interconnected natural 

areas and preserves linked by protected corridors. These parcels make 

up our Land Priority Project List. WRLC is currently in the second year 

of a two-year grant from the Ohio Lake Erie Commission to create an 

Anchor Strategy that will be the definitive land preservation guide for 

WRLC and our regional conservation partners. This fluid strategy 

will guide our land preservation efforts forever. 

THE CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAM – We endeavor to reach 

a wide variety of audiences under this program, but its focus is to 

educate all of the landowners on the Land Priority Project List about 

WRLC and conservation options available to them. 

THE CONSERVATION BY DONATION PROGRAM – This program involves 

donated conservation easements and donated fee simple interests 

(outright ownership). This is our favorite way to preserve land because 

it is less expensive and less time consuming than other options. 

THE PUBLIC LAND PROGRAM – In this program WRLC creates new 

public parks and nature preserves. WRLC acts as a pre-acquisition 

agent for public bodies and is able to handle a full range of services 

for these entities, including: conservation planning, acquisition of 

real property interests, short-term financing, long-term funding 

acquisition, and long-term stewardship. 

THE CONSERVATION BUYER PROGRAM – With this program, WRLC 

purchases conservation-worthy parcels and seeks to preserve them 

through the sale to conservation-minded buyers. 

THE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM – This program is perhaps the most 

important, as it ensures that the conservation values of the land and 

the terms of conservation easements are being maintained. This is 

accomplished through annual visits with the landowners to each 

protected property. In addition to regular inspections, volunteer 

service events are occasionally held to help clean up an area. 

Finally, WRLC’s EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAM incorporates 

education and outreach activities such as presentations to community 

groups, landowner education gatherings, donor cultivation/education 

gatherings, public agency/government entity education, and public 

events such as hikes and creek walks. WRLC also produces a full color 

journal several times a year, which we mail to our supporters.

Western Reserve Land Conservancy Donors: 

Visionaries 

$25,000 and over 

Anonymous (3) 

Abington Foundation 

The Ames Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ames 

W. Bingham Foundation 

Jean Blanche 

The Cleveland Foundation 

Corns Family Foundation 

Andrea Corns Hill 

Katie Corns Walker 

Nancy Corns Littlehale 

Barbara P. Corns 

Mr. and Mrs. Evan R. Corns 

The Dolphin Fund 

GAR Foundation 

Susan and Dick Grimm 

The Grimm Family Foundation 

Scott and Christy Hill 

Jon and Aimee Grimm 

Scott Grimm 

Tom and Katie Grimm 

George Gund Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. David Halstead 

Herbert W. Hoover Foundation 

Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation 

Barbara Brown 

Redmond Ingalls 

The Elizabeth B. Juliano Charitable Fund 

Ms. Elizabeth Juliano 

Kathleen K. Leavenworth 

S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust 

Mr. and Mrs. S. Sterling McMillan, III 

Mr. Thomas Offutt 

Mr. and Mrs. Lee McMannis 

John P. Murphy Foundation 

Ohio Lake Erie Commission 

William J. & Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation 

The Payne Fund 

Mr. Charles Bolton 

Ms. Barbara Bolton Gratry 

Mr. William Bolton 

Mr. and Mrs. Franz Sauerland 

The Kent H. Smith Charitable Trust 

The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Mavec 

Mrs. Lucia Smith Nash 

We apologize for any omissions. Please contact 

Leah Whidden at 440-729-9621 if your name 

has been omitted or if it is listed incorrectly. 

Thank you. 

Conservators 

$10,000 - $24,999 

Anonymous (4) 

Doug & Lu Bannerman Gift Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. W. Douglas Bannerman 

Mr. Joseph P. Bennett 

Black River Audubon 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bolton 

Mrs. Rita Conway 

The Higley Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert M. Higley Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. John Leech 

Community Foundation of Lorain County 

Mr. and Mrs. Bassem A. Mansour 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen C. Morris 

Mrs. Werner Mueller 

William C. Mulligan Charitable Gift Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. William Mulligan 

The Nord Family Foundation 

Nordson Corporation Foundation 

The Orvis-Perkins Foundation 

Ms. Molly B. Perkins 

Perkins Charitable Foundation 

Faith E. Pescatore 

Carol and Bill Prior 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Shaughnessy 

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Spira 

Mr. Dominic Visconsi 

Mr. & Mrs. James G. Watterson 

Guardians 

$5,000-$9,999 

Anonymous (5) 

Barbara and Mike Bass 

Melanie and Mark Biche 

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Bower 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Broer 

Mrs. Walter M. Charman, Jr. 

The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation 

Ms. Carol Horner Donaldson 

Cyrus Eaton Foundation 

William O. & Gertrude L. Frohring Foundation 

Evelyn Frohring 

Glenn Frohring 

Steve Szilagyi 

Fred Geis, Geis Companies 

Mr. and Mrs. Ron G. Harrington 

Mr. and Mrs. Ron M. Harrington 

Haslinger Family Foundation 

Melissa Haslinger 

Hudson Community Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Hyde 

The Lubrizol Foundation 

Byron and Elsie Lutman 

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander McAfee 

Mr. and Mrs. A. Malachi Mixon 

The Amanda Ford Morris Charitable Lead Trust 


Susan Murphy 

Mr. and Mrs. William O’Neill 

Park View Federal Savings Bank 

Pysht Fund 

Lloyd & Louise Smith Foundation 

South Waite Foundation 

Mr. Brian Sherwin 

Mr. David Wilmot 

Hal Rohlik preserved his 28 acres in Brunswick Hills, consisting 

of mature forests, a lake and a tributary to the Rocky River, in 

2007. His land adjoins another WRLC protected property. 

Stewards 

$1,500-$4,999 

Anonymous (3) 

Dick and Joan Ainsworth 

Jay and Julie Ankeney 

Mr. Edward Baker and Dr. Anna Van Heeckeren 

Michael and Vivianne Barrett 

Karen and Larry Bettcher 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bowen 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brandon 

Ann C. Briechle 

Barbara Brown and Steve Ward 

Mr. and Mrs. C. Richard Brubaker 

Gail and Don Butler 

Mr. and Mrs. R. Bruce Campbell 

Mary Alice Cannon 

FirstEnergy Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. William Caster 

Mrs. William B. Chamberlin, Jr. 

Mr. Richard and Dr. Jennifer Cochran 

Mr. and Mrs. Owen Colligan 

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Conway 

Patrick G. Coy and Karin L. Tanquist 

Robert R. and Gay C. Cull Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cull 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. deConingh Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. David Dickenson II 

Diane and Warren Farr 

Fort Dodge Animal Health 

Jean C. and W. Greg Foust Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Foust 

Mr. and Mrs. John Fulton 

John Gannon and Julie Boland 

William and Sarah Gardner 

Alison W. Gee and David J. Eichenmiller 

Mr. and Mrs. James Gerspacher 

The Ginn Family Fund 

Mr. William D. Ginn 

Julie and David Given 

Jean and Steve Gokorsch 

John Gresock and Teresa Holland-Gresock 

The Hankins Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Harnett 

Robert K. Healey and Family 

Peter Hellman Family Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hellman 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hoffmann 

Mr. J. Jeffrey Holland and Ms. Marjorie Muirden 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Holland 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Hollington, Jr. 

Ms. Karen Hoy 

Ferdinand and Marguerite Jereb 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom W. Johnson 

Thomas Hoyt & Katherine Brooks Jones Family Fund 

Mrs. Brooks Jones 

Barbara and Michael Kaplan 

Charlotte E. Karson 

Mrs. James Kehres 

The Kendis Family Trust 

Mr. and Mrs. James Kendis 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kendis 

Cynthia Knight 

The Kohl Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. John Kohl 

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Kohn 

Mrs. Robert Kruse 

Mr. Dean Kulwicki 

The Bentz-Kuttner Charitable Fund 

Mr. Kenneth Kuttner and Ms. Laura Bentz 

William and Bonny Lafave 

The Avis E. Singleton Lappin Fund 

Mrs. Avis E. Lappin 

Dr. Edith Lerner 

The George R. and Constance P. Lincoln Family 

Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. G. Russell Lincoln 

Mr. & Mrs. Al Luzius 

Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Lytle 

Dr. and Mrs. John T. Makley 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael McGuire 


Mr. and Mrs. Edward F. Meyers 

Mr. Mark Mittler 

Laura and Lucian Moffitt Foundation 

Murphy Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Murphy 


Mr. and Mrs. Paul Neidhardt 

John and Karen Nestor 

Marion Olson 

Rory and Dedee O’Neil 

Corinne F. O’Neill Charitable Trust 

Kenneth R. Parker 

Mr. and Mrs. James Patterson 

Michael Pender Memorial Fund 

Kathy and Jim Pender 

Ms. Mary B. Perkins 

Mr. and Mrs. Emery C. Prior 

Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin 

Mary and Todd Ray Charitable Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. Todd Ray 

Mr. Harold Rohlik 

Ms. Adrian Scott 

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Scovil 

Kevin Sherman 

Mrs. Asa Shiverick, Jr. 

Ms. Stephanie Sires 

David and Kelly Staats 

Sears Swetland Foundation 

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Eppig 

T. L. C. Landscaping, Inc. 

Annie and Frank Tait 

Nelson Talbott Foundation 

Mr. Nelson Talbott 

Renold Thompson, Jr. 

C. Carlisle and Margaret M. Tippit Charitable Trust 

Mrs. C.C. Tippit 

Anne and Tom Tormey 

U. S. Bank Community Fund 

Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation 

Mrs. John Hildt 

Mr. Kurt Treu 

Hal and Ronna Uhrman 

Livingston H. Ulf 

The Weathertop Foundation 

Mr. Thomas V. Vail Jr. 

Dr. Paul Vignos 

Mr. and Mrs. William Weber 

Mr. and Mrs. Blair M. Whidden 

Carter and Genevieve Wilmot 

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Circle of Giving 

(Monthly Giving Program) 

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Bender 

Chris and Maureen Bunch 


Richard and Jennifer Cochran 

Herbert and Wanda Clark 

C. Beau Daane 


Tom and Marcy Herbert 

J. Jeffrey Holland and Marjorie Muirden 

Sarah and Roger Ingraham 

Bill and Laura Jordan 

Dr. and Mrs. James Kotapish Jr. 

Joan Long 

Diane Palker 

Geo and Nora Sindelar 

James Switzer and Gretchen Laatsch 

Leah and Blair Whidden 


Planned Giving 

Using Life Estates and Testamentary Gifts to Support Charitable Organizations 

by Kim Van Sickler & Bob Owen 

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS 

Marguerite (Marge) and Ferdinand (Fred) Jereb and Cynthia Szunyog love their homes. The Jerebs bought their ten acres in 

Chesterland in 1964. The property had a cottage that they visited on weekends and then ten years later they began building their dream 

residence—a Frank Lloyd Wright-style marvel designed by Jerry Weiss. This field stone and stucco house is built into the steep hillside 

with 88 steps and a footbridge leading to a pond. Fred proudly shows us their stream, orchard, and beehives that his niece now tends, 

and abundant rhododendron bushes that erupt into a mantle of pink flowers every spring. The Jerebs reminisce about the tornado of 

1969 and the havoc it wreaked on their forest. But after tragedy comes new beginnings. The fallen cherry, birch, and maple wood is 

recycled now as paneling for their house. 

Cynthia Szunyog grew up in the 1850’s brick house that she still calls home. The 93 acres in Medina that she tramped around with 

her mom, an amateur botanist and birder, is now residence to Cynthia and her husband, two dogs and eight cats. Her property contains 

mature forests, ravines, wetlands and tributaries to the Rocky River. She has been solicited by realtors and developers who want her 

land and lumber companies who are interested in her trees. “I was horrified at the thought of my land being developed because I knew 

that I didn’t have total control over the future.” 

THE SEED FOR PRESERVATION IS PLANTED 

Marge, a former NASA chief of computer systems and operations, also volunteered with the 

Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District. During one of the group’s meetings in the mid-1990’s, 

Chagrin River Land Conservancy’s (CRLC) Rich Cochran visited and talked about land preservation. 

The Jereb’s curiosity was piqued. There was already so much of them in their house and land—the 

thought of preserving it for future generations appealed to them. 

Also during the mid-1990’s Cynthia Szunyog retired from her job as a French teacher for the 

Lakewood city schools. Around this time, she received a letter in the mail from the Medina County 

Land Conservancy (MCLC). The letter invited her to attend a landowners meeting where the topic 

would be land preservation. Cynthia was intrigued. She attended the meeting, where she met Jeff 

Holland, now a trustee of Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC). She liked what she heard; 

started attending board meetings, and then was elected to the MCLC board herself. Cynthia served 

as president of MCLC from 1997-2001, overseeing their merger with Summit County’s Revere Land 

Conservancy and the hiring of the land trust’s first employee, executive director Chris Bunch. 

TALK TURNS TO ACTION 

The Path the Jerebs Took 

Both the Jerebs and Cynthia were attracted to the idea of forever protecting the land that held 

such a strong connection to them. In 1998 the Jerebs granted CRLC a conservation easement on 

their ten acres, ensuring the property remain protected. Six months later they donated title of their 

ten acres to CRLC, retaining a life estate. In effect, they gave a future gift of their home and land 

to CRLC. They would continue to live in their home during their lives and after their death CRLC 

would receive full rights of ownership. Now as Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC), we 

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will either retain ownership of the property or transfer title to another conservation group, but 

WRLC will always be responsible for stewarding the land. Since the Jereb’s protected their land, 

CRLC worked with the Geauga Park District to help them acquire an adjacent 73 acres that is 

now Sunnybrook Preserve. 

Addressing Cynthia’s Multiple Interests 

In 2002, Cynthia donated a conservation easement to the then Medina Summit Land 

Conservancy on the back half of her land. She split up her gift for a couple of reasons. For one, 

the donation of part of her land would achieve her purpose of preventing development, because 

according to Medina Township zoning regulations, the unprotected remainder did not have enough 

acreage to support a planned unit development. Cynthia also wanted to take full advantage of 

federal tax deductions, which at that time allowed charitable deductions for conservation easements 

to be spread over six years. Her plan was to donate a conservation easement on the rest of her 

land after the federal tax deduction ran out on the initial gift. To preserve her intention in case 

anything happened to her in the meantime, Cynthia revised her Will to direct that the remainder 

of her property was to be subject to a conservation easement as well. 

As it turns out, in 2007, Cynthia herself donated a conservation easement to WRLC on the 

remainder of her property, in order to take advantage of the more generous 2006 and 2007 federal 

tax laws. WRLC now holds a conservation easement on the entire property. Her land will be 

protected forever. Cynthia’s Will has been revised and currently gives ownership of the land to 

the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) and the 1850’s house on a four-acre lot to a 

non-profit group interested in preserving historic buildings. 

Cynthia will always have plenty of room to walk her dogs on her 93 acres, protected 

with a conservation easement, with future ownership currently willed 

to two different non-profit organizations. 

SHARED VALUES BROUGHT THESE TWO FAMILIES TO THE SAME PLACE 

Conservation Easement and a Life Estate 

Neither the Jerebs nor Szunyogs have children. They also share an appreciation of the value 

of the land they call home. They’ve both taken their own paths to a similar decision—to preserve 

their natural surroundings. The Jerebs granted a conservation easement on their land and donated 

all ownership rights to their property while retaining the right to live on the property during their 

lifetimes. 

Conservation Easement and a Testamentary Gift 

Cynthia Szunyog ultimately protected her entire homestead with a conservation easement 

and also used her Will, a document that she has the power to alter until her death, to specify that 

the new owners of the property will be two other non-profits. 

Life estates and testamentary gifts are two examples of planned giving. They provide flexibility 

and control to the giver while also benefiting a favorite non-profit and creating a wonderful way 

to be remembered. WRLC appreciates these thoughtful gifts and welcomes the opportunity to 

answer your questions and understand your intentions in advance. For more information, contact 

Rich Cochran at 440-729-9621. 

Life estates and testamentary gifts are excellent vehicles by which 

a person can make a charitable contribution upon death. Such vehicles 

are often preferred for the simple reason that they provide 

the donor with the use and benefit of the asset during the donor’s 

lifetime, but offers an often substantial contribution to the charity 

upon the donor’s death. 

A life estate arises when a donor transfers his legal title (or ownership) 

in an asset to another person or entity but reserves for himself 

the right to use and possess the asset during the donor’s lifetime. 

The classic example is that of a homeowner who transfers title to her 

home by recording a deed naming a charity as grantee, but reserves 

the right to live in and use the house until her death. While the gift 

is actually irrevocably made at the time the deed is recorded, it is 

not completed until the death of the homeowner. 

A testamentary gift, on the other hand, is a gift that a person prepares 

to make during his/her lifetime but is not irrevocably made 

or completed until the death of that person. Gifts by Last Will and 

Testament are testamentary gifts because the individual can plan 

the gift and provide for it during his lifetime by including the terms 

and conditions of the gift in his Will; however, since a person is free 

to change his Will as often as he desires during his lifetime, the gift 

does not become irrevocable until the person’s death. 

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Donors 

Anonymous (4) 

Sherry Abell 

Roberta E. Aber 

Louise Abrams and Robert Fuerst 

Academy Communications, Inc. 

Louise Acheson 

Ellen Adams 

Mr. Richard C. Adams 

Walt and Nancy Adams 

Stanley and Hope Adelstein 

Adler Family Philanthropic Fund 

Rosalyn and Norman Adler 

Thomas W. and Joann Adler Family 

Philanthropic Fund 

Tom and Joanie Adler 

Raj Aggarwal 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Aiken 

Marnie and Wayne Albers 

Dr. Elizabeth Albrecht 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Allen 

Amherst Garden Club 

R. John Anderson 

Mr. Glenn Anderson 

Dr. and Mrs. Michael E. Anderson 

Jeanne Anderson 

Ken Anderson and Karin Knutsen 

Barbara K. Andreas 

Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Andrews 

Henry C. Annable 

Mr. and Mrs. Donald D. Anthony Jr. 

Paul Appelbaum and Lee Thompson 

Kayla Applebaum 

Linda and Bo Arbogast 

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Armington 

Ms. Sandra Arnold 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Arny 

Mr. James Artz and Ms. Jan Jones 

Shirley Ashby 

Celeste and Peter Asmar 

Atlas Steel Products Co. 

Tom and Colleen Austin 

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Aveni 

Becky Babcox 

Bruce and Johanna Bacik 

Mr. Ergun Baharoglu 

Robert and Ingrid Bahler 

Mrs. Kenneth Baker 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Baldwin II 

Dr. Les Ballard 

Sara Balogh 

Deborah Banyas and T. P. Speer 

Mr. and Mrs. James Barker 

Rita R. Barnes 

Mr. and Mrs. William Barnes, IV 

Mr. and Mrs. Patterson Barnes 

William Barnes 

Thomas Barratt 

David S. Barrie 

Wilma Bartholomay 

Amy Bartter 

Mrs. Emerson L. Batdorff 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bathgate 

Tom and Judy Bauer 

Craig and Janine Bauman 

Dr. Irene H. Bautista 

Marilyn Bayer and Harris Levine 

Mr. and Mrs. James L. Bayman 

Mr. and Mrs. Ken Beck 

Robert Beck 

Horst and Maria Becker 

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Becker 

Marna Lilliedale Becker 

Mr. and Mrs. William Behnke 

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Bender 

Stanley S. Benjamin 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence W. Bennett 

Ms. Leigh Bennett 

Patricia Bennett 

Edward and Mary Benzel 

David Benzing 

Lizette Benzing 

David and Susan Bercheck 

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Beres 

Mr. Richard Berg 

Barbara Berg 

Dr. John and Dr. Wilma Bergfeld 

Mr. Irving S. Bergrin 

Charles Berkey 

D. A. Berlincourt 

Barbara Bernard 

David H. Berns 

Ralph and Linda Berry 

Robert Berry 

Jim and Maryann Betz 

Ann Beursken 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Bidwell 

Binder Family 

Mr. and Mrs. John Birckline 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bissell 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bittenbender 

Linda and Lane Blackburn 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Blake 

Mr. and Mrs. J. Donald Blake 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Blakeslee 

Suzanne and Jim Blaser 

Mr. Roger Blatnick 

Mr. Louis J. Bloomfield 

David Blosser and Lillian Harper 

Richard and Viola Blount 

Ken and Grace Blower 

Richard J. Blum and Harriet L. Warm 

Jeffrey and Kim Blumer 

Mr. and Mrs. John Bobel 

Michael and Georgia Bobryk 

Joyce and David Bock 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bonebrake 

Bob and Marne Boone 

Mr. Stuart Borden 

Jack and Jan Borkey 

Dr. Gregory P. Borkowski 

Mr. and Mrs. David Borsani 

Robert Botti 

Thomas D. and Jean C. Bowen 

Ms. Susann P. Bowers 

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Bowman 

Carol Boyd 

Mark Braford 

Mr. Michael Bramson 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Brandt 

Dr. Gregory C. Brant 

Barbara L. Breedon 

R. William Breitzig 

Ann and David Brennan 

Louise Brick 

Tom and Katie Morley and children at the 

Muggleton tree planting. 

South Woods/Ramsey Right-of-Way cleanup 

during Oberlin/Lorain County Pride Day. 

Mr. Robert Briggs 

Mr. Dick Brockett 

Maryanne Bromelmeier 

Bill and Holly Brooks 

Mr. and Mrs. William L. Brooks 

Mr. and Mrs. William S. Brooks 

James and Jamie Brotherton 

Brown Architects Inc. 

Carl and Susi Brown 

Clare and Wes Brown 

Doug and Linda Brown 

Mr. George Brown Jr. 

Kenneth L. and Nancy E. Brown 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Brown 

The Honorable Sherrod Brown & Connie Schultz 

Will and Kristin Brown 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Brownell II 

Richard C. and Carolee Brunken 

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Bucey 

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Buchanan 

Ms. Ann Buchanan 

Frank and Leslie Buck 

J. Budzilek 

Buehler Food Markets 


Mr. Richard Buoncore 

Mr. Robert Burge 

Michele Burgess 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burke 

Mr. Lee Burkons 

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Busch 

J. C. and Helen Rankin Butler 

Stewardship Program Highlights 

by Anne Murphy 

WRLC is committed to upholding the terms of our 

conservation easements in perpetuity. Once we have preserved 

a property, our stewardship department is responsible for 

cultivating an ongoing relationship with the landowner and 

monitoring that property on an annual basis. With more than 200 

properties now preserved, our stewardship staff has been busy 

exploring the Western Reserve region and getting acquainted 

with new faces and places during the past year. 

While we are out in the field walking these beautiful preserved 

properties, we take along a sophisticated global positioning 

system (GPS) unit to help us locate property boundaries, a camera 

to capture any changes to the land since our last visit, and maps 

to keep us oriented. The monitoring visits help us detect any 

changes to the property and allow us an opportunity to touch 

base with the landowner. We’ve had some amazing experiences 

visiting these properties during the past year. We’ve been chased 

by goats, caught in sudden thunderstorms and the occasional 

blizzard, and fallen in numerous rivers and wetlands while 

attempting to cross – but we love 

what we do and are grateful for any 

experience that puts us in touch with 

the land and the wonderful people 

that make our work possible. We’re 

looking forward to completing our 

latest monitoring season this fall and 

gearing up for another year of visits 

come springtime. 

William and Patricia Butler 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack D. Butler 

Mr. and Mrs. David Butz 

Amy Cadle 

Mr. Harry Cagin 

Mr. Charles Calder 

Catharina Meints Caldwell 

Davis Caldwell 

Rob Calhoun and Elizabeth Wilmer 

Benjamin Calkins 

Vera Camden 

Mark Cammock 

Mark and Barbara Camp 

David and Trisha Campbell 

Mr. and Mrs. Donald B. Campbell 

Judith Campbell 

Mr. Philip Campbell 

Mr. Michael Cannon and Ms. Marie Saul 

Susan and David Cannon 

The Carfagna Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Carfagna 

Andi and Larry Carlini 

Kay Carlson 

Ron and Cathi Carmany 

Dorothy Carney 

Mr. and Mrs. David J. Carpenter 

Nancy and Bill Carpenter 

Carpet Country Inc. 

Mr. David M. Carr 

Dr. and Mrs. Charles M. Carr 

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Carran, Jr. 

Virginia P. Carrol

New Public Parks Highlights in FY2007 

by Carla Macklin and Mark Skowronski 

SOUTH RUSSELL ACQUIRES NEW PRESERVE 

The Village of South Russell, in partnership with 

WRLC, recently acquired the last remaining farm in 

the Village. After a decade of planning, the majority of 

the 104-acre Muggleton Farm will finally be preserved 

as a public park. A large portion of the property will 

be restored from its current agricultural condition to 

native grasslands and mature forest. Preservation of 

the Muggleton Farm completes a 434-acre anchor 

area of protected land in South Russell and Bainbridge 

Township. 

GROWING THE PORTAGE PARK DISTRICT 

In December 2006, WRLC transferred two 

properties to the Portage Park District for permanent 

preservation as parkland. The first, a 23-acre property 

located in Brimfield Township, contains forests and a 

tributary to the Cuyahoga River. The second, a 48-acre 

property located in Streetsboro, consists of 15 acres of 

wetlands that drain into Tinkers Creek. 

NEW PARK CREATED IN THE VILLAGE OF RICHFIELD 

The Village of Richfield acquired this 28-acre 

property with assistance from the Clean Ohio 

Greenspace Fund and WRLC. The property drains into 

Yellow Creek and the East Branch of the Rocky River 

watersheds and contains vernal pools and wetlands. 

The area was previously farmed but will be allowed 

to revert back to its natural forested condition for the 

enjoyment of the public. 

New South Russell parkland. 

New Portage Park District property. 

Conservation easement donor Charlotte Karson and her 

husband Eric Daiber on the new Richfield Park property. 

John R. Carter 

Mr. and Mrs. Lucien H. Case 

Edward and Susanne Cass 

Debbie Casseday 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Castle 

Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Castro 

Mrs. Marcia B. Catalano 

Century Equipment 

Chagrin Valley Jaycees 

Edith Chase 

Mr. and Mrs. David Chew 

Kristin Chilton 

Mr. and Mrs. Homer D. W. Chisholm 

Ken and Heather Christensen 

Christopher Tool & Mfg. Co. 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Clark 

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Clark 

Mrs. J. Warner Clark 

Kathryn and Fred Clarke 

Kip and Allison Clarke 

Mr. Earl Clausson and Ms. Sarah Malcolm 

Susan Clayton 

Mr. and Mrs. George Clemens 

George and Pat Clemens 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Cleminshaw 

Cleveland Chapter Hog 

John and Elizabeth Click 

Sandy and Gaye Coakley 

David and Sandra Cobb 

Cohen & Company 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Cole 

Mr. Charles Colitre 

Richard and Diane Collier 

Cynthia H. Comer 

Community Church of Chesterland 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Comunale 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Connor 

Chris and Patty Cook 

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Cook 

James and Maureen Cook 

Rick and Suzanne Cooper 

Natalie and Paul Cooper 

Tom S. and Miwako K. Cooperrider 

Joseph and Sara Copeland 

Michael and Paulette Coppola 

Wiley Cornell and Richard Marschner 

Mr. and Mrs. John Corogin 

Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Corrado 

Linda M. Costello 

Mr. and Mrs. Barring Coughlin 

Jane D. Coven 

Eugene L. Cox 

Mr. Wayne Cox 

Dan and Cheryl Cragin 

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Crawford 

Glenn and Mary Crawford 

Christine Craycroft 

Bruce and Betty Crittenden 

Christine Croissant and Chip Weinberg 

Samantha and Amos Crowley 

CT Consultants 

Mr. and Mrs. John Cubar 

Cheri and Fred Cuffari 

Michael Cullen 

Mr. and Mrs. James E. Culver 

Michael Cunningham and Andrea Dawson 

Carol and Ted Curtis 

Bob and Sue Curtis 

Pitt and Sally Curtiss 

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Cusick 

Mr. C. Beau Daane 

Charley and Betsy Daane 

Mr. and Mrs. David Daberko 

Bob and Carol Dakin 

Margit K. Daley 

Kathi Damitz-SirLouis 

Mr. Norm Damm 

Peter W. Danford 

Andrew and Kathleen Dangelo 

Mrs. Allen Daniels 

The Davey Family 

Beth and Steve Davidian 

Mr. John B. Davidson 

Mr. and Mrs. Grover Davis 

Lois Joan Davis 

Rebecca De Bolt 

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Dean 

Kate Debo 

Phyllis J. DeMark 

Marilyn P. Demeter 

Thomas J. Denbow and Barbara Clint 

Cindy and Jon Denney 

Kathleen Dennis 

Mr. Guy Denny 

Pat & Don Denny 

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Desberg 

9

10 

Dr. Nancy G. Deucker 

Arden and Peggy DeYoung 

Mark DeYoung and Heather Elmer 

Roderick A. Dibble 

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Dick 

Dave and Sherrie Dickens 

Mr. James A. Dingus Jr. 

Dr. and Mrs. Richard C. Distad 

Mr. and Mrs. Perry Doermann 

Dick and Marilyn Doerr 

Mr. Matthew J. Dolan 

RR Donnelley Foundation 

Phyllis Donnelly-Ingold 

Linda and Jim Donovan 

Eddie Dooner 

Michael Doudican 

Matthew and Debby Downing 

Dr. Christine B. Dresser 

Jane Drexler 

John and Chris Drinko 

James M. Drozdowski 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. Druckenbrod 

Drs. Vichai and Patra Duangjak 

Paula Dubaniewicz 

Genny and Franck Dubey 

Kimberly A. Dudek 

Mr. Jim Duffy 

Jim Dull 

Mrs. Ralph L. Dunn 

Mr. Melvyn Durchslag 

Mr. David Dvorak 

John Dyer III 

Early Morning Garden Club 

Bill and Linda Eberhard 

Tom Ebner 

E. Anne Eddowes 

Bob and Dottie Ehlers 

Christopher and Jayne Eiben 

Mr. S. Stuart Eilers 

Phyllis Patton Ekelman 

Mr. Othmar Elber 

Mr. and Mrs. Oliver F. Emerson 

Mr. and Mrs. Roger K. Emmons 

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Epprecht 

Dr. and Mrs. Ibrahim Eren 

Mr. and Mrs. William Erickson 

Erie Soil & Water Conservation District 

Sandra Erlanger 

Ms. Joan Ernst 

Hugh and Libby Erwin Jr. 

Jennifer Evans 

Mrs. Phyllis H. Evans 

David and Olivia Factor 

Mr. Gerald A. Fallon 

Bruce A. Farkas 

Robert E. Farmer, Jr. and 

Clare I. Mcguinness, Esq. 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Fath 

Mr. and Mrs. Gene Faubel 

Dr. and Mrs. V. W. Fazio 

Ms. Grace Murray Fedor 

Drs. Betsy and John Feighan 

Ray and Natalie Feldman 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Fenn 

Peter and Suzanne Fielder 

Mike and Heidi Figas 

Mr. and Mrs. John Fike 

Mr. Keith W. Filip 

Mr. and Mrs. John Finley 

Dr. and Mrs. Rodney H. Finn 

Ruth and Vincent Fiordalis 

Stanley Fischer 

Mrs. Thomas Fisher 

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Fisher 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Fissel 

Mr. John D. Fitzgerald 

Kathleen Flanagan 

Michelle D. Flanigan 

Mrs. Dana Flenner 

Carol Fondran 

Signe and Casey Forbes 

Fork and Hoe Garden Club 

Louise M. Foster 

Mr. Aaron Fox 

Tom and Rosalie Franek 

Mark Frank 

Andy and Cindy Frantz 

Bill Fraser 

Freedom Harley-Davidson, Inc. 

Mark and Margee Frey 

Evelyn R. Frohring 

Mr. and Mrs. William Fuchsman 

Ann L. Fuller 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Fuller 

James and Todd Fulmer 

Stella and David Fulton 

Funny times Peace Fund 

George and Loretta Furey 

Sue Gaetjens 

Sean and Jeni Gaffney 

Garden Club of Cleveland 

Garden Club of Wadsworth 

Mr. Todd E. Gardiner 

Rudolph H. Garfield 

Bill and Judy Garvey 

George J. Gauthier 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Gazdag 

GC Supply, Inc. 

Robert W. and Helen Gelbach 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gensemer 

Dr. and Mrs. Don J. Germano 

Gertman Family Philanthropic Fund 

Mr. Stuart Gertman 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph K. Getz 

Michael and Barbara Giarrizzo 

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Gibson 

Charles E. Gibson 

The Gibson Network, Inc. 

Ms. Linda K. Gilbert 

Doris Gilbert 

Charles H. & Fannie M. Giles 

Memorial Foundation 

Nancy S. Gilkeson 

Mr. Christopher D. Gilmore 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Ginn 

Alda and Nick Giorgianni 

Mr. and Mrs. David Gleason 

Nancy and Ted Goble 

Pamela and Richard Goetsch 

Dr. and Mrs. Victor M. Goldberg 

David J. Golden 

Mr. Herbert I. Goulder 

Mr. and Mrs. George J. Grabner 

Susan and Chris Grant 

Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Gratry 

Mr. Alvin L. Gray 

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 

ASSETS 

July 1, 2006 Changes June 30, 2007 

Cash and Cash Equivalents ............................ $2,867,155 ..................... $455,475 ..................$3,322,630 

Accounts Receivable ....................................... 1,797,665 ................... (793,090)................... 1,004,575 

Real Property ................................................... 8,002,039 ................ (4,694,105)................... 3,307,934 

Fixed Assets .......................................................... 26,329 ....................... 45,341 ....................... 71,670 

Other Assets ........................................................... 7,139 ......................... 7,066 ....................... 14,205 

Total Assets .................................................. 12,700,327 ............. (4,979,313) ................ 7,721,014 

LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCE 

Accounts Payable ............................................ 2,334,070 ................ (2,283,429)........................ 50,641 

Other Liabilities ............................................... 5,153,531 ................ (2,797,704)................... 2,355,827 

Total Liabilities .............................................. 7,487,601 ............. (5,081,133) ................ 2,406,468 

NET ASSETS 

Unrestricted ...................................................... 1,847,043 ..................... 243,783 .................. 2,090,826 

Temporarily Restricted .................................. 3,365,683 ................... (141,963)................... 3,223,720 

Total Net Assets ............................................. 5,212,726 ................... 101,820 ................ 5,314,546 

Total Liabilities and Net Assets ................. $12,700,327 ........... $(4,979,313) ............. $7,721,014 

Ron and Rita Greenbaum 

Mr. Donald H. Greene 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Greiner Jr. 

Janet L. Gremba 

Laurel Gress 

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Gretter 

Larry and Michelle Grewe 

Peter and Joanne Griesinger 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Grimm 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grimm 

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Groetz 

Dr. and Mrs. Francis R. Gross 

Mr. and Mrs. James L. Gruden 

Thomas and Claudia Gruen 

Mary Ann and Boyd Grumbling 

Ovidia Guaderrama 

Jim and Sherry Guidetti 

Ann and Marty Gulbransen 

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Gunton 

Lainie Hadden 

Corinne Hadley 

Hageman Family Foundation 

Clark A. Hahn 

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Haibach 

Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Hale 

Richard and Prudence Hall 

Mrs. Dona May Hall 

Mr. and Mrs. James R. Halloran 

Patrick and Melissa Hammond 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hanna 

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley I. Hanover 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Hansler 

Dr. and Mrs. Jon A. Hardacre 

Amy Hardacre 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hardenburgh 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hardy 

Mr. John Harley and Ms. Judy Ernest 

Donald Harley and Holly Crabill 

Mr. Roy Harriger 

Martha D. Harvey 

Ms. Mary Haskins 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Hatch 

Mr. and Mrs. William Hatch 

Janet and Paul Havener 

Lary A. Hawgood 

Rickard Hawksley and Joan Inderhees 

Lou Ann Hayes 

Dorothy and John Hazen 

Mr. Bruce Hearey 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Heater 

Mr. Wayne Hedrick 

Ms. Mary Heffernan 

Mr. and Mrs. James Heighway 

Nancy and Jeff Heinen 

Mr. Wilson Heller 

Preston Heller Jr. 

Eleanor Helper 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Henck Jr. 

Norman and Marjorie Henderson 

Dr. and Mrs. Ronald G. Hendrikson 

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Henninger 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Herbert 

Peter Herbruck and Pamela Mascio 

Ann Herbruck 

Mrs. George Hess 

Timothy and Deborah Hess 

Chip and Anne Hess 

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hetrick

Todd and Mary Ray, their son and two dogs all 

have plenty of room to stand in front of their 

gigantic white oak tree, protected forever, 

along with their 53 acres in Munson. 

STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENSES 

% 

REVENUE FY2007 Revenue 

Sale of Conservation Property ....................... $ 5,298,644 ............. 57% 

Foundation Grants ............................................ 699,250 ............... 8% 

Individual Donors ............................................. 2,984,039 ............. 32% 

Program Related Revenue ................................ 165,427 ............... 2% 

Special Events Net Revenue ............................. 12,451 ............... 0% 

Interest & Investment Revenue ....................... 121,835 ............... 1% 

Total Revenue ........................................ 9,281,646 ........... 100% 

EXPENSE 

Program ....................................................... 8,429,263 ............. 91% 

Fundraising ...................................................... 307,566 ............... 3% 

Management and General ................................ 467,548 ............... 5% 

These future mountain climbers are learning 

first-hand how challenging it is to climb vertical 

shale cliffs. Photo taken along the Chagrin River 

in Willoughby Hills. 

Total Expense ........................................ 9,204,377 ............. 99% 

REVENUE OVER (UNDER) EXPENSES ..... $ 77,269 .............. 1% 

Did you know… 

of the $9,204,377 WRLC spent last year in pursuit of our mission, 91% was spent to directly 

advance our mission or on program-related expenses, while only 5% was attributed to 

overhead and 3% was related to fundraising expenses 

“Let us leave a splendid legacy for our children… 

let us turn to them and say, this is your inheritance: guard it 

well, for it is far more precious than money… and once destroyed, 

nature’s beauty cannot be repurchased at any price.” 

ANSEL ADAMS 

Tom and Peggy Heydinger 

Mrs. Charles Hickox 

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Hicks 

Mr. and Mrs. William Hinks 

Edith F. Hirsch 

Dr. William and Laura Hlavin 

Clinton Hobbs 

Mark and Awnhee Hoberecht 

Scott and Mary Jo Hoehnen 

Mark and Ellen Hoffman 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hofstetter 

Mr. and Mrs. William M. Hogan III 

Holden Arboretum 

Shirley Holdt 

Mr. and Mrs. John Hollister, Jr. 

Mary Louise Holly 

Ralph and Rita Holt 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holzman 

Homestead Insurance Agency 

David and Nancy Hooker 

John and Pam Hoopingarner 

Tom and Marsha Hopkins 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hopping 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth P. Horsburgh 

Mrs. Janey R. Horth 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Horton 

Richard A. Horvitz Foundation 

Mr. Richard Horvitz 

P. Wayne and Patricia Hosmer 

Daniel D. Hostetler 

Leslie and Peter Howell 

Lorie and Nick Howley 

Mr. and Mrs. Lee Howley Jr. 

Mr. Peter Hoyt 

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Hridel 

Mr. & Mrs. Richard E. Hruby 

Bentley and Mary Hudson 

Ms. Karen Huebner 

Marguerite Humphrey 

Mr. Robert L. Hunker 

Patsy Hunley 

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Huntsberger 

Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hutton 

Richard Hyams and Marisabel Matta 

Jeff and Suzi Hyde 

Mike and Tina Hylant 

Debra Illes 

Mr. Redmond Ingalls 

Jasper and Fern Ingersoll 

Mr. and Mrs. Dale Inkley 

Ms. Sabrina Inkley 

David Irvine and Claire Oberst 

Laurence G. Isard 

Donna Isroff 

Jean A. and John C. Jacobs 

Dr. and Mrs. Adam Jacobs 

Ms. Helen L. Jacobson 

Ms. Marci Janas 

Mr. Owen Jander 

Paul and Chris Janicki 

Mr. and Mrs. William Janota 

Jennifer and Scott Jared 

Susan and Stanley Jaros 

Ray and Peggy Jarrett 

John and Virginia Jeandrevin 

Mr. Norman Jeavons 

Nancy and Ed Jeffery 

Tom and Anne Jenkins 

Jon and Mary Lee Jensen 

Stephen C. and Lisa R. Jett 

Vernon and Marlene Jividen 

Ellen and Merritt Johnquest 

Carolyn Johnson 

Mr. and Mrs. Glen Johnson 

Doug Johnson and Tracy Wallach 

Mr. William Jones 

David and Kathy Jones 

Scot and Lynn Josefsen 

John and Barbara Joseph 

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Jouriles 

Dave and Kelly Joyce 

Barbara and Jim Jung 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Juster 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Kalberer 

Mario Kamionkowski and Mary Vidmar 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Kaplansky 

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur 

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Karlovec 

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Kasa 

Carole and David Kass 

Terrance and Loretta Kasza 

Mrs. David Kaufman 

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Kaufman 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kawalics 

Dr. C. William and Ardith M. Keck 

Evelyn A. Keefer 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Keesey 

Jeff and Jackie Kehnle 

Joseph P. and Nancy F. Keithley 

Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Keithley 

David W. Kellogg 

11

Mr. and Mrs. J. Kemmerling 

Frank J. Kendrick 

Jen Kendro 

Susan R. Kent 

Ms. Nancy Kepner 

Keith Kerman and Debra Leizman 

Dennis and Mildred Kerwin 

Steve and Denise Kestner 

Key Foundation 

Barbara H. Kichler 

Bob and Betty Kiley 

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Kimball 

Mr. Henry King Jr. 

Benjamin A. King 

Liz and Dave King 

Tom and Debbie King 

Dr. and Mrs. Sam E. Kinney 

Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Kirchick 

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey W. Kirk 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Kirk 

Andy and Kristin Kirkpatrick 

Paul Klatte and Nancy Garlisi 

Nina Klein MD 

Mrs. Alan R. Klein 

Jimmy and Lynn Kleinman 

Dan and Carol Klimas 

Klimek Family 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Klingshirn 

Pete and Paula Klonk 

Ms. Ann Klotz 

George and Phyllis Knepper 

Melody Knipshild 

Bill and Jean Koehler 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Koenig 

Keith Koenning and Patricia Murphy 

Carol Koethe 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Koller 

Mr. and Mrs. William G. Koons 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Koosed 

Ron & Linda Kooser 

Jo Ellen Korman 

Mr. James Korode 

Dr. and Mrs. James Kotapish Jr. 

Ronald Kotkowski 

Carole C. Kowell 

Lisa Kraemer 

Charlotte R. Kramer 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Krause 

John and Linda Krieger 

Robert R. Krihwan 

Kay M. Kritzer 

Ms. Fae Krokey 

Marjorie B. Krupansky 

John C. Kuhn 

Mr. and Mrs. J. Andrew Kundtz 

Dr. and Mrs. Ewald E. Kundtz, III 

Dr. Robert S. Kunkel 

Bill Kurtinaitis 

Gene P. Kurzen 

Carane L. Ladd 

Ms. Constance Laessig 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. LaFave Jr. 

Jean and Jim Lamkin 

Muriel Lamppert 

Lynn Landmesser 

Mr. John Lane 

Ms. Theresa Lanesky 

Ms. Sally Lang 

Sue and Terry Lang 

George H. Langeler 

Hal and Susan LaPine 

Mr. Tim LaRiche 

Dick and Libby Larrabee 

Gretchen and Bob Larson 

Mr. and Mrs. John Lasch 

Dr. and Mrs. Martin G. Laskey 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Lasko 

Nancy and Neal Lavelle 

John and Beth Lawton 

Joan and Michael Lax 

JoAnn and William Leavenworth 

Tim and Kathy Leciejewski 

Mr. and Mrs. E. Dennis Lehman 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Leib 

Ben and Pam Lenz 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Leonetti 

Ms. Susan Lepp 

Donald Lerner 

Richard A. and Sharon L. Leskovec 

Dr. Hugh J. Leslie Jr. 

Mr. Raymond Lesser and Ms. Susan 

Wolpert 

Ms. Tracy Leverentz 

Mr. & Mrs. James R. Levine 

Ms. Marcia Levine 

Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis 

FY 2007 LAND PROTECTION TOTALS 

WRLC has protected 203 properties within eight counties of the Western 

Reserve. The pie chart shows the breakdown, by county, of the 9,807 acres 

protected by WRLC.* 

10,000 

9000 

8000 

7000 

NUMBER OF ACRES PROTECTED BY COUNTY 

6000 

Acres Protected - Running Total 

434 Acres 

Summit County 

858 Acres 

Trumbull County 

1,283 Acres 

Cuyahoga County 

ACRES 

5000 

4000 

3000 

1,387 Acres 

Portage County 

2000 

1000 

466 Acres 

Medina County 

323 Acres 

Lorain County 

105 Acres 

Lake County 

4,951 Acres 

Geauga County 

0 

1987 

1988 

1989 

1990 

1991 

1992 

1993 

1994 

Year 

1995 

1996 

YEAR 

ACRES PROTECTED - RUNNING TOTAL 

1997 

1998 

1999 

2000 

2001 

2002 

2003 

2004 

Since 1987, WRLC has preserved 9,807 acres.* Please note that the 2007 

totals are for the first half of the calendar year only. 

2005 

2006 

2007 

12 

*Just prior to printing this Report, in September 2007, WRLC crossed the 10,000-acre threshold of preserved land.

Mr. Fen Lewis 

John Lillich 

Mr and Mrs. John Limbocker Jr. 

Nicole and Deej Lincoln 

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Lindh 

Rebecca Linnean 

Mr. Richard K. Lintern 

Karl Liske and Garnet Byrne 

Mr. Harvey Lisle 

Chris Littman and Brooke Biggar 

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Livingston 

Molly and John Logan 

Joan Long 

Mr. and Mrs. John C. Lopatkovich 

Fred Losi 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Lowe, Sr. 

Nan Jamieson Lowerre 

Ms. Diane Lucas 

Betsey L. Luce 

Stephen M. Luczek, M.D. 

Randall and Sari Luke 

Dale and Val Lumby 

Dale and Mary Lyndall 

Betty Lynham 

Ms. Jeanne Lyons 

Peter and Kathleen Mac Ewan 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Macintyre 

Betsy Mackenzie 

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Mackin 

Ms. Linda Macklin 

Craig and Carla Macklin 

Sheldon and Marilyn MacLeod 

Mrs. Dorothy MacNab 

Anna Maerean 

Della and Ben Magee 

Frank and Gail Maimone 

Michael and June Mancuso 

John and Teresa Mannen 

S. Manning and John M. Kundtz 

Elizabeth B. Manning 

Mrs. John S. Manuel 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Manuel 

Rick and Polly Marabito 

Gid Marcinkevicius and Julia Burgess 

Kevin and Sheila Margolis 

7-D Marketing Inc. 

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent G. Marotta, Jr. 

Sandra Marsh 

Dr. and Mrs. James Marshall 

Barb and John Marshall 

Ms. Barbara Marshall 

Merilee Marshall 

Charles & Susan Marston 

Drs. Richard and Patricia Martin 

Dr. William R. Martin 

Mrs. Walter Marting 

Nancy Martt 

Ms. June Maslanka 

Ms. Lynn Mason 

Masters and Associates 

George Mateyo & Jeanne Lyons 

Catherine P. Matousek 

Charles and Nancy Matthews 

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Matz 

Mayfield Village Garden Club 

Mr. and Mrs. McAnlis 

Tim and Carol McArthy 

Tom and Cas McBride 

George W. McCabe 

Rich and Cheryl McClellan 

Alex and Jennifer McClennan 

Chuck and Judy McConnell 

Nancy McCormack 

Mr. and Mrs. James McCormick 

Betty J. McCray 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. McCreery 

Patrick and Jane McCullagh 

Jane and Bill McCullam 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen McCurley 

E. McDowell 

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew McDowell 

Harry and Beverley McEachern 

Malcolm and Marnie McFarland 

Mr. Larry McFarland 

Mr. and Mrs. Joe McGlamery 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack McGrath 

Nancy and William McGrath 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward McHenry 

Mr. Robert S. McIlroy 

Jim and Nancy McKee 

Thomas McKee 

Rush McKnight 

Mr. and Mrs. Steve McLaughlin 

Mr. John McNally 

Medina County Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Medinger 

Ms. Marie Meehan 

Ms. Amanda Meitz 

Mr. Mel Mellis and Ms. Susan Murphy 

Alan and Mary Melnyk 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Mendes 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Merriman 

Walter and Gigi Metcalf 

Jan and Tom Mettee 

Lynn and Ed Metzger 

Mr. and Mrs. William Meyer 

Mr. and Mrs. Trent M. Meyerhoefer 

Mid-State Golf Car 

Jeff and Jackie Miles 

John and Laura Milgram 

Lee and Linda Miller 

Jane Miller 

Mr. David P. Miller 

Linda Miller 

Edward Miller, MD 

Miller Family Foundation 

Mr. William M. Mills 

Ms. Patricia Mills 

Dr. Arnold Milner 

Jerry and Holly Mineard 

Ms. Andrea S. Minton 

Pat and Don Mitchell 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mlakar 

Mr. James P. Mockler 

Mrs. Walter E. Moll 

Don Molten Sr. 

John and Mary Moore 

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Moos 

Mr. and Mrs. Mike Moran 

Cassandra Moran 

Mr. Robert O. Moravec 

Michael and Nancy Morel 

Ann J. Morgan 

Stanley Morganstern 

Mr. and Ms. Thomas Morley 

Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Moroney 

FY07 PUBLIC FUNDING SOURCES 

WRLC secured $3,753,542 from local, state, and federal 

funding sources to fund ten land protection projects. The 

majority of FY2007 public funding came from the State’s 

Clean Ohio Fund. 

FY07 PUBLIC FUNDING SOURCES 

Federal - 11% 

$424,921 

Katherine and Richard Moroscak 

Mr. Charles Morrill 

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Morris 

Ms. Vickie Morris 

Mr. and Mrs. J. Patrick Morris 

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Morrison 

Mortensen’s GreenHouse 

Larry and Sophia Morton 

Jan and Linda Moskowitz 

Dr. and Mrs. Nelson Mostow 

Mr. Joseph Mosyjowski 

Bert and Marjorie Moyar 

Bob and Elaine Mravetz 

Karen and Wally Mueller 

Mr. John Mueller 

Mulberry Creek Herb Farm 

Local - 13% 

$470,527 

“Over the long haul of life on this planet, 

it is the ecologist, and not the bookkeepers of business, 

who are the ultimate accountants.” 

STEWART UDALL 

State - 76% 

$2,858,621 

Thomas J. Mullaney 

Beatrice Muller 

Amy and Pat Mullin 

Robert and Tamilyn Munson 

Munson Township Trustees 

Thomas O. Murphy 

Paul T. Murphy, Co. L.P.A. 

Larry and Mary Murray 

Lawrence and Lori Musarra 

Mr. and Mrs. John Musson 

Mustard Seed Market & Cafe 

Rita F. Nagusky 

Peter Naguski 

S. Bruce and Cynthia Campbell Nairn 

Mr. Peter B. Narten 

Dr. and Mrs. Clyde Nash 

Autumn colors 

Karen and Rob Nathan 

Mrs. Charles Neff 

Dan Nelson 

Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Neubauer, Jr. 

Mr. Charles Neuger 

Paul A. Neundorfer 

Mr. Michael Neundorfer 

Helen and Allan Newman 

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Nichols, Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Nicklaus 

Mr. and Mrs. Terence Nickolette 

Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Noall 

David L. and Patricia W. Nobili 

The Eric and Jane Nord Foundation 

Eric and Jane Nord 

Benjamin G. and Jane Norton 

Photo by Connie Oney 

William L. Norwick 

Robert J. Norwick Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Novak 

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin O’ Reilly 

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel O’Connor 

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin O’Donnell 

Mr. and Mrs. William O’Donnell Jr. 

T. P. and Mariann Offtermatt 

Dr. and Mrs. Patrick O’Hara 

Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition 

Mr. and Mrs. Igor Olefir 

Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Olmsted 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Olson 

Jay and Heidi O’Neill 

Ms. Rita O’Neill 

Lydia Bruner Oppmann 

13

Rick and Debbie Oprzadek 

John and Jean Orlando 

Russell O’Rourke and Georgia Froelich 

Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Osborn 

Phil and Katie Osborn 

Mr. and Mrs. William Osborne 

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Ostendorf 

Ken and Helen Ostermiller 

Jane and Jon Outcalt 

Ken and Katie Outcalt 

Mildred Owen-Weedon 

Mr. Robert T. Page 

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher I. Page 

Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Eliot Paine 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Paine 

Randy and Amy Paine 

Mr. John Pais 

Diane Palker 

Mr. and Mrs. William A. Papenbrock 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pappalardo 

Larry and Nancy Parella 

John and Gail Park 

Barbara and T Parkinson 

Partners Environmental Consulting, Inc. 

Mr. and Mrs. Pascucci 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Patchan 

Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Pate 

Ann G. Patella 

Priscilla Patterson 

Robert and Ruth Paul 

Dorothy Rollins Pauly 

Dr. and Mrs. Mahmood Pazirandeh 

Ms. Jeanne Pease 

Dr. and Mrs. Donald Pensiero 

Ms. Marjorie Percy 

Lawrence J. Perk 

Mr. Perry K. Peskin 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pesses 

Mr. and Mrs. David Peters 

Ms. Jennifer Peters 

Mrs. Robert C. Petersen 

Mr. John Petersen and Ms. Nancy London 

Sam Petros 

Dr. and Mrs. Gosta Pettersson 

Joan and Roger Pettibone 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pfeiffer 

Dennis and Donna Pfouts 

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Pierre 

John C. and Janice K. Pierson 

Stanley G. Pijor 

Kate Pilacky and Mr. David DiTullio 

Mr. Tom Pilacky 

Karen Heider Pilarski and Joseph Heider 

Mr. and Mrs. Terrell Pim 

Ms. Charlotte Piske 

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Pistell 

Mr. Donald Plzak 

Dan and Andrea Pollock 

Jeffrey Pollock and Martha Brandt Pollock 

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Ponsky 

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Porter, Jr. 

Joel Porter and Nancy Ray 

Richard and Suzanne Potts 

C. Thomas Powell 

Gail Powell 

Mr. Richard T. Prasse 

Gayle and Don Prebis 

Ken Press and Tim Downing 

Dale and Kim Preston 

Laurie Price 

Franklin Price M.D. 

Kurt and Carolyn Princic 

Susan Prior 

Jo Proffitt 

The Progressive Insurance Foundation 

Ms. Brenda Pruitt 

Jim and Linda Puffenberger 

Mr. Robert H. Pugsley 

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert N. Putnam Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Quandt 

Dr. Erwin and Mary Ann Rabin 

Betsy Rader 

Susanne and John Rahilly 

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Ramerman 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Randall 

Paul Rander and Joy Willmott 

Mr. and Mrs. Claiborne Rankin 

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin, Jr. 

Bruce Rankin 

Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Rankin 

Mr. and Mrs. Arliss Ratliff 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ratner 

Mr. Frank Rausche 

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Rayner 

Roger and Judy Read 

Michael Reagan 

The Creation of Forest Ridge 

from Charles Lang 

14 

Mark Skowronski e-mailed asking of me a seemingly simple task, “Charles, 

would you write in a paragraph about why you chose preservation, what your 

land means to you, et cetera” 

I thought that was a daunting task. Explaining our reasoning and thus answering 

his question would be easy, but to reduce those answers to one paragraph 

would be impossible. I thought of the time we have been here on Chagrin River 

Road and how we measure land dealings in decades. One paragraph could not do 

meaningful justice to help another landowner consider what motivated our charity 

and to ponder the same. Space limitations being what they are for articles, the full 

tale will remain untold. But to prevent the publication of some synopsis guess at 

why we did what we did, let me endeavor to pinpoint in just a few paragraphs 

the gist of our motivation. 

Through life experiences, most notably the premature loss of my father, we 

have accepted the fact that it was necessary for us to actively decide the fate of 

this cherished property rather than adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Consider this 

result – we die and the “For Sale” sign goes up (read: to the highest bidder, who is 

almost always a developer). Just look around and you see regularly that as an elder 

generation passes, the property too often goes on the block. Perhaps it is because 

no one sibling can afford to keep it or none cares sufficiently to want it to remain 

in the family, but either way the end result is the same. In months (or sometimes 

sadly in just days) the inheritors abandon by sale property that was nurtured and 

cherished. Sadly, then, they just pocket their share of the proceeds from another’s 

lifetime. Tender as we are in years on this earth, we are the elder generation with 

respect to the Langs’ tenure on Chagrin River Road and that is a responsible role. 

With the swirl of a pen in a flowing signature we could preserve or destroy a vast 

array of landscape across from the Polo Field and that result would last forever. 

It just did not seem right for us to have fought so many years to hold on to this 

terra firma to ultimately let its fate go upon our deaths. 

So instead, we chose ourselves 

to be the grantors of the 

preservation deeds while well 

alive and able to enjoy doing 

so. Yes, we could have waited 

until death to preserve it; but 

why wait It is a wonderful 

feeling to part with real property 

knowing what its future 

“forever” will be. The perpetuity 

of this land as a passive park 

certainly held great appeal, for 

now anyone who cares can 

come to enjoy the land as it has been and will be. In so doing, we also know for 

certain that with the deed now held by the Village of Moreland Hills and a conservation 

easement held by Western Reserve Land Conservancy, our contribution to 

Forest Ridge Preserve can not be sold for development (which could have resulted 

in a mere 31 new monster homes popping up on those hills). 

There is a clear charitable choice made to receive less value by preserving one’s 

land rather than having it sold to a developer. But if you don’t need the development 

value during your lifetime, one should easily be able to preserve the land 

with no harm to self financially, in fact only benefit. “What about your children 

and grandchildren, you may be asking yourself” Ponder well that you can still 

give them everything else on your death--other than the ability to destroy that 

which should be preserved– the historic realty. 

I would ultimately surmise that the certainty of our deaths, hopefully some 

day far in the future, caused us to decide today the eternal preservation fate of this 

portion of Chagrin River Road.

Lynn P. Reboul 

Mr. Robert C. Reed Jr. 

Mary S. Reed 

James and Esther Rehmus 

The Reid Family 

Lori and Doug Reighart 

Pauline Reimer 

Mary Reinthal 

Remington Products Co. 

Tim and Mindy Remington 

Remington Productions, Inc. 

Mike and Susan Renda 

Froncie Repetti 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Resch 

Mr. and Mrs. A. Williams Reynolds 

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Reynolds 

Mr. and Mrs. Don Rice 

Sally and Norm Richenbacher 

Jeffrey A. Riebe 

Nick and Carole Rinaldi 

Charles & Mabel Ritchie Memorial 

Foundation 

Mrs. Charles Ritchie 

Barbara Ro 

David and Mary Roberston 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Roddie 

John Rode 

John and Ann Rodewig 

George and Ruth Rodgers 

John H. Rodgers 

Mr. Robert Rodgers 

Bud and Susie Rogers 

Mr. and Mrs. Justin Rogers 

Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Rogge 

David and Carol Rollins 

Betty A. Root 

Dr. and Mrs. Mark Rorick 

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Ross 

Robert and Margo Roth Family 


Mr. and Mrs. Robert Roth 

Mr. and Mrs. Howard E. Roth 

The Reverand Nancy Roth 

Gina and Jeff Rotsky 

Terrence and Carole Rounds 

Mary H. Rountree 

Martha Rowan 

Sue and Howard Rowen 

Tynor Rubin 

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin K. Ruddock 

Maria and Jim Ruddock 

Paul and Susan Ruflin 

Rob and Abby Ruhlman 

Mr. Adrian O. Rule 

Ms. Elizabeth Rumics 

Steve and Kathleen Rungwerth 

Mr. Dave Runta 

The Rushworth Family 

Brian and Laurie Russell 

Walt and Dee Dee Russell 

Mr. Randy Ruttenberg 

Mr. and Mrs. Martin R. Ryan 

Tim Ryan 

Donald and Kathleen Rynbrandt 

David and Joyce Rynearson 

Ms. Doris Sable 

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Sable 

Sage Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Salk 

Bob Salmen 

Frances Salmen 

Jacqueline and Frank Samuel 

Mr. and Mrs. David Sandberg 

Steve and Anne Sanford 

Mr. and Mrs. Nelson L. Sanger 

Mr. and Mrs. David Sangree 

Lila and Walter Sauerteig 

Jackie and Tom Savoca 

Ms. Karen E. Sawka 

Mary L. Scally 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert H. Schempp 

Mrs. Robert Scher 

Lenore and Jim Schilling 

A.C. Schinagle Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Schlang 

R. Christopher Schloss 

Mr. and Mrs. Philip Schloss 

Mr. Kenneth R. Schmeichel 

Mr. Charles Schmid 

Mr. and Mrs. Juerg Schmid 

Lee Ann Schmid 

Robert F. Schmitt 

Ronald and Charlene Schmidt 

Betty and Dave Schneider 

Mr. and Mrs. John Schneider 

Mr. Duane Schoewe 

Mrs. Robert J. Schultz 

Tom and Fran Schultz 

Mr. and Mrs. John Schulze 

Marci and Jeff Schwab 

Anne and Douglas Schwan 

Drs. Richard and Ilze Schwartz 

Nancy and Shel Schweikert 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Schwinn 

Mr. and Mrs. Garland Scott 

Seaburn & Associates, Inc. 

Sally and Larry Sears 

Nancy and Bill Seelbach 

Mr. & Mrs. Henry E. Seibert 

Dr. and Mrs. Frank Seidelmann 

Tom and Tracy Seifert 

Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Seikel 

Tom and Nancy Seitz 

Jack H. and Florence F. Selby 

Mr. Jeffrey Selerowski 

Ken and Mary Seliga 

Charles and Kristine Sells 

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Senders 

Eric R.Severs 

Mr. Arthur Seyler 

Shaker Lakes Garden Club 

Sharon Center Veterinary Hospital 

Sharon Printing Company, Inc. 

George Richard Sharp 

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Shaw 

Dr. and Mrs. William C. Sheldon 

Dick and Mary Lou Sheller 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Shelley 

Dr. Walter Sheppe 

Jeff and Pam Sherman 

Ms. Marguerite P. Sherwin 

Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Shiverick 

Pat and Walt Silver 

Mr. and Mrs. David Simon 

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Simpson 

Jeff and Celia Sinclair 

Ways to Give to WRLC 

There are many ways that you can contribute to the financial success 

of Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Please contact Leah Whidden or 

Jean Gokorsch for more information at 440-729-9621. 

Outright Gifts 

• Cash 

• Gift of support: a financial contribution on someone else’s behalf 

• Memorial gift: a financial contribution in memory of a friend or 

relative 

• Matching gift: an additional financial contribution from your 

employer 

• Online donation 

• Automatic monthly giving program 

• Securities 

• Real estate 

Planned Gifts 

• Life income plans 

• Charitable gift annuity 

• Charitable remainder trust 

• Charitable lead annuity or unitrust 

Deferred Gifts 

• Testamentary gifts (see article, page 6) 

• Retirement plan benefits 

• Life insurance 

Foxtail 

Mr. and Mrs. Geo Sindelar 

Glenn and Amy Singleton 

Sisters of St. Dominic 

Ron and Rita Siwik 

G. Michael and Kathy Skerritt 

Wayne and Anna Slepecky 

Kay Sloan 

Mr. Kenneth Sloane 

Susan Slotnick and Matthew Sobel 

Vince and Becky Slusarz 

Roger Smalley 

Miriam G. Smead 

Edward W. Smith 

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Smith 

Carol P. Smith 

Rob and Anne Smykal 

Bill and Lillian Smyser 

Becky and Jeff Smythe 

Snavely Excavating Company 

Marc and Betty Snitzer 

Snyder Tree Farm LLC 

Ms. Brenda Soblesky 

Mr. and Mrs. John Solomon 

Chris and Vicki Soukup 

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Spaeth 

Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Spano 

Bill and Missy Spellacy 

Donald L. Spencer 

Ms. Mary Spicer 

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Spicuzza 

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Spilman 

Mimi and Bob Sposito 

Dwarf Ginseng 

“Have you remembered WRLC in your Will” 

Ms. Jane Springer 

Ms. Casella Stamm 

Forrest Stanley and Nora-Lynn Nemec 

Thomas and Carole Stanley 

Frank Stanonik 

William and Nancy Stark 

Peter and Bridget Steck 

Mr. Thomas Steckel 

Ms. Cynthia Steeb 

Ben S. Stefanski II 

Billie Howland Steffee Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Ira Steinberg 

Ms. Tess Stephens 

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Stevens 

Mrs. Virginia Stewart 

Mr. Ray Stewart 

Photo by Connie Oney 

Dr. and Mrs. Philip Stout 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Stover 

Helen S. Stranz 

Mr. and Mrs. James Streicher 

Alliss Strogin 

Mr. and Mrs. Rick Strong 

Valerie Strong 

Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Studsgaard 

Mr. Daniel Styer 

Ms. Laura Subel 

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Suchovsky 

Ms. Margaret Sugar 

Mike and Kathy Suglia 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward K. Suit 

Mr. and Mrs. John Sulak 

Mr. and Mrs. John Sullivan 

15

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sullivan 

Ms. Rosanne Summerville 

Mr. Matthew Sutko and Ms. Francine 

Rosenberger 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Swain 

Karen Swan 

Ms. Mary Ann Swansiger 

Scott Swierkosz and Lee Will 

James Switzer and Gretchen Laatsch 

Lorraine S. Szabo 

Bert Szabo 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Tabor 

Bill and Edith Taft 

Mr. and Mrs. Rick Taft 

Franny and Seth Taft 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Talenda 

Mr. Joseph Talley 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Taylor Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Taylor 

Mr. and Mrs. John Taylor 

Jos and Dianna Tesauro 

Dennis and Jana Theis 

Thomas R. Thoburn 

The Thomas Brick Company 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Thomas 

Stephen G. Thomas 

Catherine M. Thompson 

Jock and Janet Thompson 

Mr. and Mrs. James Thomson 

Mr. Jack Thorp 

Ms. Margaret Thurston 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tiedman 

Janice Matteucci and Parnell Tillotson 

Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Tobbe 

Steve and Rita Todd 

Tim Topalian and Tami Masuoka Topalian 

Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Toth 

Mr. Denny J. Toth 

Stacy Totten 

Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon K. Towson Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lyman H. Treadway 

Mr. and Mrs. David Trimble 

Jeanne B. Tripp 

Mr. John Troche 

Trout Unlimited 

Esther M. Turk 

Twinsburg Garden Club 

Kristin and Jeff Ubersax 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth S. Ullman 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ullman 

Lin and Paul Vajner 

Valley Art Center, Inc. 

Valley Tack Shop 

Mr. Roy Van Houten 

Robert and Janice Vance 

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Vanic 

Dr. and Mrs. Gordon F. Vars 

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Vawter 

Andy and Lynn Vidra 

Musette T. Vincent 

Mr. Kenneth Vinciquerra 

Mr. James Vogus 

Ted and Swanny Voneida 

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Wahler 

Rich and Betce Wainio 

Dod and Annie Wainwright 

Terry Walden 

Harold and Janet Walker 

Dr. and Mrs. Joe W. Walker 

Ms. J. Walker 

Lynn Wallace and Diane Tuuri 

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Wallace 

Richard Walsh 

Charles Walton 

Pauline Warch 

Grace Ward 

Emily Waters Foundation 

Sherri and Earl Weaver 

Ms. Linda Weaver 

Lisa Weaver 

Mr. and Mrs. Rick Webb 

Ms. Martha Webster 

George Weemhoff 

Margaret and Samuel Weingart 

Susan Weingold 

Mrs. Robert Weinstock 

Edward Weintraub 

Dr. and Mrs. Lee Weisberg 

Mr. David Weiss 

Mr. Gary Welch 

Mark and Laura Weldon 

Paul and Nancy Wellener 

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Wells 

Dr. and Mrs. Wallace Wendt 

Dr. and Mrs. Terrence Wenger 

Robert and Margie Wenz 

Racoon in mulberry tree. 

Red eft. 

Anchor Strategy Highlights 

by Anne Murphy 

The foundation of WRLC’s land preservation program is called the Anchor 

Strategy. The Anchor Strategy uses Geographic Information System (GIS) 

technology to identify large critical resource areas, called anchors, connected 

by corridors of protected properties. Focusing on anchors and the connections 

via corridors to other anchor properties will enable WRLC to connect the 

natural landscapes within the Western Reserve region to create the greatest 

ecological and scenic benefit and most manageable goals for land protection. 

Using the Anchor Strategy, we will obtain parcel-level data so that we can 

identify ownership of each parcel, acreage, and other assorted details that 

facilitate contacting landowners and developing conservation strategies for 

priority land. 

WRLC is in the second year of our Anchor Strategy project that will 

create a priority parcel map and database for the more than 6,250 square 

miles that WRLC serves. The project is the first step in implementing our land 

protection program and we have already completed Phase I. The Ohio Lake Erie 

Commission provided $100,000 for staff salaries of the GIS team, covering the 

two-year period 2006-2007. The William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation 

provided a $50,000 grant for the purchase of a GIS server and updated software 

necessary to build and run our model. Environmental Systems Research Institute, 

Inc. (ESRI), the company that developed the GIS hardware and software, also 

provided us with significant discounts on the overall costs. 

Phase II involves developing and building a model with GIS to prioritize 

and score each parcel in our service area based on its ecological features and 

the priority ranking given by our collaborating partners. We are currently in the 

process of configuring our new hardware and software so that we can run the 

model this fall and complete the Anchor Strategy by January 1 st of 2008. 

16 

Canada geese. 

Photo by Connie Oney

Rich and Martha Wertz 

John and Renee Wesemeyer 

Tim and Elene West 

Mr. William West 

Western Reserve Properties, LLC 

Warren and Bonnie Wheeler 

Mr. and Mrs. John Whitacre 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. White 

James W. White 

Richard and Jane Whitehead 

Barbara Whitner 

Mr. Dickson Whitney 

Mr. and Mrs. Dickson Whitney Jr. 

Ms. Deborah Wiant 

Betsey and George Wick 

Ms. Joanne Widlak 

Mr. and Mrs. Wiegand 

Mrs. Thomas R. Wigglesworth 

Dr. and Mrs. Wilber 

Diane Wilbur 

Fred and Marilyn Wilder 

Mr. Barry Wilford and Ms. Julie DeMark 

John and Ginny Wilhelm 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Williams 

Sue and Stan Williams 

Marjorie Williams 

Mr. and Mrs. Loyal Wilson 

Mrs. R. L. Winders 

Amy and Tim Winnicki 

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Winter 

Barbara Wise 

Walter Wisnieski 

Mr. and Mrs. Matt Wisniewski 

Michael H. and Antonia Wolf 

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wolfe 

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Wood 

Ted and Diana Woodbridge 

Helen Woodward 

Gloria and Alan Wright 

Mr. Peter C. Wykoff 

Chris and Rose Yaecker 

Mr. and Ms. Michael Yaksic 

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Yarcusko 

Mr. Timothy Yeager 

Betty J. Yelic 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Young 

Eva and Henry E. Young 

Mr. and Mrs. Dale Young 

Ann Zambie 

Dr. & Mrs. Frank and Mary Beth Zatko 

Mrs. Marian E. Zehnder 

Monica Zelis 

Michael and Darlene Ziegenhagen 

William Ziegler 

Julie Ziemak 

Dana Zintek and Lisa Daiber 

Ms. Janice Zockoll 

Dr. and Mrs. Gary Zoldesy 

Ruth and Robert Zollinger Jr. 

Donna Zorge 

Mr. Kal Zucker 

WRLC Conservation Heroes for 2007 

by Kim Van Sickler and Joan Demirjian 

The following awards were presented at WRLC’s Conservation Celebration in June 2007. 

THE STEPHEN C. MORRIS SUGAR MAPLE AWARD RECIPIENT: FRANZ SAUERLAND 

WRLC’s highest honor, the Stephen C. Morris Sugar Maple Award, was presented 

to trustee Franz Sauerland for his abiding love of learning and nature, significant financial 

support, and intellectual leadership to the land conservancy. This year’s choice of a bronze 

cardinal commemorative statue was in recognition of Franz’s favorite bird. The Sugar 

Maple Award is named after Chagrin River Land Conservancy’s (CRLC) founder, Stephen 

C. Morris. CRLC was one of the predecessor organizations to WRLC, which was created 

by a merger of eight land trusts on January 1st, 2006. 

Franz served as a trustee of Chagrin River Land Conservancy, on the steering committee 

for the merger to become WRLC, and now as a WRLC trustee. He was instrumental in 

kicking off the Bridge Fund to help form WRLC and is a tireless supporter of our programs 

and events. Rich Cochran, president and CEO of WRLC says of Franz, “He is a wonderful 

human being; all heart, no pretense, a study in virtuous contrasts: selfless, driven, humble, 

willful and passionate.” 

THE GRIMM FAMILY CONSERVATION MEDAL RECIPIENT: 

FRANCES & BOB SALMEN 

The second award, the Grimm Family Conservation Medal, is awarded to a 

conservationist who has charitably preserved land that meaningfully advances WRLC’s 

mission, forgoing significant personal gain to do so. The award was given to Frances and 

Bob Salmen, a mother and son whose family has lived on their Bainbridge Township farm 

stretching back nearly 100 years. Bob’s income is dependent on what he earns from splitting 

and selling firewood and farming. Dick Grimm was impressed by the deep commitment 

the Salmens had to preserving their historic land, located on the Aurora branch of the 

Chagrin River. Bob says that developers have asked on several occasions to buy his 127- 

acre property. He responded by pricing it high and reports that the developers still wanted 

it. “He could have had millions of dollars by selling the property, but instead he placed a 

conservation easement on it, and he’s still content,” says Grimm. “Very seldom do people 

give up millions of dollars for a conservation easement.” 

The wooden plaque consists of the WRLC logo, a “dancing sun” hand-rendered out 

of copper and nickel by WRLC’s Anne Murphy, director of stewardship and conservation 

resources. The Grimm Family Conservation Medal was created to honor Dick Grimm, 

WRLC trustee, his wife Sue and his family, who gave a generous donation to the WRLC 

Land Protection Fund in 2006. 

WRLC is grateful for the dedication and support exhibited by this year’s award winners. 

They are our inspiration. 

The Grimm Family 

Conservation Medal, 

based on the icon in 

the WRLC logo, was 

hand-wrought by 

WRLC’s own 

Anne Murphy. 

Franz Sauerland at the 2007 Kids in the Creek 

event at Geauga Commons. 

Frances Salmen used to sled a ½-mile course 

down Bainbridge Road during winter snows, 

accompanied by her faithful dog Laddy. 

Bob Salmen 

Photo by Itamar Gat 

17

18 

Land Protection Fund Donors 

Anonymous (2) 

Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Andrews 


Mr. Joseph P. Bennett 

The Estate of Joseph Berick 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Blake 

Mr. Roger Blatnick 

Bratenahl Community Foundation 

Louise Brick 

The Thomas Brick Company 

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Bryner 

Mr. Charles Calder 

Alvah Stone & Adele Corning 

Chisholm Memorial Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. George Clemens 

Christine Croissant and Chip Weinberg 

Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Cutting 


Steve and Karen Diedrich 

Phyllis Donnelly-Ingold 

Mrs. Ralph L. Dunn 

Philip H. and Jane G. Geier Donor Advisor Fund 

Doris Gilbert 


Mr. and Mrs. Tom Harvey 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Heater 

Mr. and Mrs. James Heighway 

Tom and Marsha Hopkins 


Mr. and Mrs. James Hubbard 

Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation 

Jon and Mary Lee Jensen 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Keesey 

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Kohn 

Lisa Kraemer 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Lasko 


Bud Lezius 

LAND PROTECTION HIGHLIGHTS 

Ms. Jeanne Lyons 

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Mackin 

Mr. and Mrs. Bassem A. Mansour 

Jan and Tom Mettee 

Mr. and Mrs. William Meyer 

Ms. Patricia Mills 

Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Moroney 

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Morrison 

Mr. Peter B. Narten 

Ms. Bebe Ober 

Mr. and Mrs. William O’Donnell Jr. 


Russell O’Rourke and Georgia Froelich 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pappalardo 

Park View Federal Savings Bank 

Perkins Charitable Foundation 


Susan Prior 

Lynn P. Reboul 

The Reid Family 


Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Schneider 



David L. & Harriet T. Simon 


Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Somershield 

Joyce and Greg Studen 

Ms. Laura Subel 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sullivan 

Hudson Community Foundation 

Mr. Dominic Visconsi 


Ms. Martha Webster 

Ms. Joanne Widlak 

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wolfe 

Michael and Darlene Ziegenhagen 

Nancy Kepner with Dick and Sue Grimm. 

Babcock siblings: Alice Bradley, Jarvis Babcock, and 

Catherine Babcock Leary. Photo by Jennifer McDowell 

· Completed 45 land protection transactions, which was the most ever in a 12-month period. 

· Preserved nearly 1,000 additional acres, bringing our total preserved acres to 9,807. 

· Preserved new land in 16 communities. 

· Secured more than $3.7 million from ten different public funding sources at the federal, state and 

local levels for ten land protection projects in six counties. 

· Created ten new public parks throughout our service area through the public land program, 

including the Muggleton Preserve in South Russell, the Forest Ridge Preserve in Moreland Hills, 

Eastwood in Richfield, and two parks in Portage County. 

· Completed our first agricultural easement purchase through Ohio’s Agricultural Easement 

Purchase Program on the 461-acre Kepner Farm in Trumbull County. 

· Secured funding for a 1000+ acre agricultural easement on a farm in Lorain County, which is our 

largest project ever. 

Land Protection Highlights 

from FY2007 

by Carla Macklin, Andy McDowell and Mark Skowronski 

FIFTH GENERATION FARM PRESERVED IN 

TRUMBULL COUNTY 

By partnering with Western Reserve Land 

Conservancy, Nancy Kepner has ensured that future 

generations of her family will be able to farm and 

enjoy their family land for generations to come. Most 

of the Kepner farm, 461 acres, was preserved with 

funding provided through Ohio’s Agricultural Easement 

Purchase Program. As a fifth-generation farmer, Nancy’s 

son Paul now works the land, producing corn, soybeans, 

and wheat. Nancy still lives in the original farmhouse 

where her family has resided since 1865 and Paul 

lives across the street. Nancy has achieved a life-long 

dream of preserving the majority of her family land. 

The preservation of the Kepner farm is as much about 

helping landowners achieve their conservation goals as 

it is about preserving the business of farming and food 

security. We are grateful for the Kepner’s leadership in 

this area and are looking forward to helping the family 

preserve the balance of their 636-acre farm. 

LORAIN COUNTY CONSERVATION EASEMENT 

IS STEPPING STONE TO 1,000+ ACRE FARM 

PRESERVATION 

The Babcock family has been farming in Lorain 

County since 1832. As partial interest owners in their 

950-acre family farm, siblings Jarvis Babcock, Catherine 

Babcock Leary, and Alice Bradley wanted to make sure 

that their family’s farming heritage was preserved for 

future generations. Jarvis Babcock, who also owns 

another 69 acres adjacent to the family farm, saw an 

opportunity to leverage the preservation of his land 

with that of the family farm. Jarvis decided to grant 

a conservation easement on his 69 acres because he 

knew that it would help make an Agricultural Easement 

Purchase Program (AEPP) grant request that WRLC was 

submitting on the family’s behalf more competitive. He 

was right. The 69-acre conservation easement ultimately

esulted in the family being awarded an AEPP grant on 

the balance of their land, which the family accepted. 

That 950-acre agricultural easement is on track to 

be completed by the end of 2007. This family farm 

protection project represents the single largest project 

in our history. Cathy Leary sums up the meaning of 

her family land this way: “Although making a living by 

farming was a lot of very hard work for our family, it 

was also a priceless gift to live so close to the earth. It 

is our hope that for generations to come there will be 

wooded places where a person can sit on a fallen log, 

listen to the birds, and feel at one with nature.” 

RARE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE NEW NATURE PRESERVE 

IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY A SUCCESS 

After nearly ten years of planning and discussions 

with several landowners, a new 115-acre public nature 

preserve called Forest Ridge Preserve has been created in 

partnership with the Village of Moreland Hills. WRLC 

obtained more than three million dollars of federal, 

state, and private contributions on behalf of the Village 

to leverage their nearly one million dollar commitment 

towards the project. This preserve represents a local 

community’s dedication to preserving their rural 

character, water quality, and natural surroundings for 

their residents to enjoy. The property contains some 

of the last remaining high-quality natural areas in 

Cuyahoga County, seven state-listed rare species, and 

several miles of headwater streams. The first 62 acres 

of this project are now owned by the Village. The final 

parcels will be transferred to the Village by the end of 

the 2007 calendar year. See related story, “The Creation 

of Forest Ridge” on page 14. 

NEW EASEMENT RESULTS IN LARGEST BLOCK OF PRIVATE 

LAND CONSERVATION IN NORTHEAST OHIO 

Frances Jackson Salmen and her son, Bob Salmen, 

preserved 127 acres of their property along the Chagrin 

River with a conservation easement. The property has 

been in the Jackson-Salmen family for nearly 100 years 

and preserving it represents their family’s dedication to 

private land stewardship, respect for family history, and 

commitment to community conservation. Their family 

land was a missing link that created the largest area 

of private land conservation in all of Northeast Ohio. 

The project area now totals 876 acres preserved with 

WRLC conservation easements and incorporates more 

than 2.5 miles of the state-designated scenic Chagrin 

River. More than 800 of those acres are owned by 

private citizens that granted conservation easements. 

This project is also noteworthy because of the large 

financial sacrifice that the landowners made in order to 

achieve their conservation goals. They had been offered 

millions by developers, but instead decided to preserve 

their land with a conservation easement. As a result 

of their dedication to land conservation and financial 

sacrifice, they were the 2007 recipients of the Grimm 

Family Conservation Medal. See related story, “WRLC 

Conservation Heroes for 2007” on page 17. 

MEDINA COUNTY FARM PRESERVATION GROUNDED IN 

LAKE ERIE SHIPPING HISTORY 

Joanne Hutchinson, owner of a 76-acre farm in 

Hinckley Township, recently preserved her family land 

with a conservation easement. Joanne’s father, Captain 

John T. Hutchinson, owner of the Pioneer and Buckeye 

Steamship Companies, purchased the farm in 1936. 

He used it as a family retreat and to raise crops and 

livestock, which supplied fresh food for their family, 

their neighbors in Lakewood, and his ships. Her family 

land is adjacent to Cleveland Metroparks Hinckley 

Reservation and contains portions of Whipp’s Ledges, a 

massive sandstone rock outcrop formation that defines 

the area. Located 15 miles north of downtown Akron, 

that city can be seen from the property on a clear day. 

Joanne says she preserved her family land because she 

was committed to leaving a legacy of conservation, 

which is rooted in her childhood memories of working 

on the farm. 

“We are the Trustees of the Future. 

We are not here for ourselves alone.” 

JAMES BRYCE 

Forest Ridge Preserve. 

Chagrin River running through Salmen property. 

Joanne Hutchinson on her Hinckley Township farm. 

19

20 

Our gratitude to the 

following individuals for becoming 

members of the 

Western Reserve 

Land Conservancy 

Founders Society. 

(as of June 30, 2007) 

Anonymous (6) 

Ames Family Foundation (The) 

Dr. Jay Ankeney and Dr. Julie Clayman 


Mr. and Mrs. W. Douglas Bannerman 

Barbara and Mike Bass 

Marion Berick IR Trust 

Mark and Melanie Biche 

Jean Blanche 

Rob and Peg Bobel 



Dennis and Laura Bower 

Vikki and Peter Broer 

Barbara Brown and Steve Ward 



R. Bruce and Jane Campbell 

Mary Alice Cannon 


Mrs. Walter M. Charman, Jr. 



Elizabeth P. Colebrook 



Mr. and Mrs. William Conway 


Patrick G. Coy & Karin L. Tanquist 

Margaret E. Cummins 

The Cyrus Eaton Foundation 


Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. DeConingh, Jr. 

Dolphin Trust 

Ms. Carol Horner Donaldson 

Richard and Louise Dunn 


Diane and Warren Farr 

FirstEnergy Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Foust 

William and Sarah Gardner 

Fred Geis, Geis Companies 

Mr. & Mrs. James Gerspacher 


John Gresock and Teresa Holland-Gresock 


The Grimm Family Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Gudbranson 

Corinne P. Hadley 


Lydia and Ron Harrington 

Nancy and Ron Harrington 

Dr. and Mrs. Shattuck W. Hartwell, Jr. 

Melissa Haslinger 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hellman 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert M. Higley, Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hoffmann 




Ms. Elizabeth B. Juliano 

Barbara and Michael Kaplan 

Charlotte E. Karson Daiber 

Cynthia Knight 

Mr. Dean Kulwicki 

Kenneth Kuttner and Laura Bentz 

William and Bonny Lafave 

Elaine and Bill Lamb 

Kathy Keare Leavenworth 


Mr. and Mrs. James R. Levine 

Gail Marie Lipovsky 

Byron and Elsie Lutman 


The Milton & Tamar Maltz Family Foundation 

Julien L. McCall 


Mr. and Mrs. S. Sterling McMillan III 

Mr. and Mrs. S. Sterling McMillan IV 


Estate of John W. Mitchell 


Mr. and Mrs. A. Malachi Mixon 



Mr. and Mrs. William C. Mulligan 


Susan Murphy 


Marion Olson 


Kenneth R. Parker 


Michael Pender Memorial Fund 

Faith Pescatore 

Ava Joyce Peterson 


Mr. and Mrs. Emery C. Prior 

PYSHT Fund 


Josh Rubin, The CJR Group 


James and Lenore Schilling 

Ms. Adrian Scott 

Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Shaughnessy 

Walter Sheppe 

Stephanie Sires 

The Kent H. Smith Charitable Trust 

South Waite Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. James Spira 

David and Kelly Staats 

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Sullivan 

Mr. Nelson S. Talbott 

Renold D. Thompson, Jr. 

Mrs. C. C. Tippit 


Mr. and Mrs. James G. Watterson 

Josephine Hannel Weber 


Mr. & Mrs. Blair Whidden 

Carter & Genevieve Wilmot 

David Wilmot 

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Wolstein 

Matching Gifts 

I Wish I Could Do More to Help Western Reserve Land Conservancy! 

by Jean Gokorsch 

There is a way that you can make a larger donation to Western Reserve Land Conservancy 

(WRLC) now at no additional cost to you. 

If you are employed by a company that has a matching gift program for their employees, you 

may be able to double the amount of your charitable gift to WRLC! Many companies will match 

all or part of contributions made by their employees to non-profit organizations. 

Matching gift programs are a wonderful way for you to make your charitable dollars stretch 

further, at no additional cost to you. For example, if you donate $500 to WRLC’s annual campaign, 

your company may match your donation with an additional $500. Instead of just giving $500, your 

total annual gift would be increased to $1,000. 

Dan Miltner, a senior vice president of KeyBank National Association and a Medina Summit 

chapter board member, speaks highly of his organization’s matching gift program. “I am so proud of 

Key for the support they show for employees who are actively involved in their community. Gifts are 

matched dollar for dollar which helps volunteers leverage their donations. Key Foundation also makes 

generous gifts to organizations when Key employees serve on Boards of non-profit organizations 

in their community. By the active support of both Key Bank and the Key Foundation, I know that 

my efforts in the community are appreciated and the leverage provided furthers the cause.” 

How can you get involved with your company’s matching gift program Simply ask your 

human resources office for a matching gift form. You will fill out a portion of the form and send 

it to WRLC along with your gift. Our development department will take care of the rest. Retirees 

can check with their former companies to see if they still qualify for matching gifts. If you serve 

on the board of other corporations, or if your spouse is employed, these companies may also be a 

source of matching funds for you. 

Many matching gift companies will 

match the cash value of securities, as well 

as cash gifts. If your company requires that 

a special form be completed for a gift of 

securities, simply send the form to WRLC in 

care of the development department, and we 

will complete the form to assure that your 

gift is matched. 

We have a list of companies that match 

employee gifts. If you would like more 

information on matching gift programs, please 

call Jean Gokorsch at 440-729-9621 or via e- 

mail at jgokorsch@wrlc.cc. 

Marilyn and Dick Roddie protected their 100 acres in 

Bainbridge Township in 1997. Dick grew up on the land.

What is the Bridge Fund 

The Bridge Fund was started in 2005 when Chagrin River Land 

Conservancy decided to merge with seven other land trusts to form 

Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC). The purpose of the 

fund is to supplement our operating budget that increased from 

less than a million dollars pre-merger to the more than $2.5 million 

projected for FY2008, and continues to grow. It is common for nonprofits 

to take five years to cultivate a donor base to support their 

new organization and the Bridge Fund ensures that we don’t run out 

of operating funds as we grow to serve our expanded service area. 

Through the merger, the service area of Chagrin River Land 

Conservancy grew by 1,580%. Our focus became the more than 

four million acres of land in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, 

Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit, Stark, 

Trumbull, and Wayne counties. We couldn’t possibly service that 

area and the more than four million people who live there with the 

same budgets we used as eight local land trusts (five of them were all 

volunteer organizations). For instance, since we’ve become WRLC, 

we’ve hired more essential employees and plan on hiring still more 

this year. We can’t preserve land without the right mix of skilled 

people to get the work done right. 

Our goal was to raise more than $2.5 million to tide us through 

2010 in a healthy manner. Our Bridge Fund campaign will culminate 

in FY2008 (by 6/30/08). We are currently trying to raise the last 

remaining $880,000 to complete this fund. We’ll let you know our 

results in next year’s Donor Report. In the meantime, if you are 

interested in helping us complete this important fund, contact Leah 

Whidden at 440-729-9621 or lwhidden@wrlc.cc to learn how you 

can help. 

photo by Connie Oney 

“If we go on as we are, we will destroy in the next 

century everything that the poets have been 

singing about for the past two thousand years”. 

FRED BODSWORTH 

Regional Bridge Fund 

Abington Foundation 


Marion Berick IR Trust 

William Bingham Foundation 



The Cleveland Foundation 


Community Foundation of Lorain County 

Corns Family Foundation 

Mark DeYoung and Heather Elmer 

The Cyrus Eaton Foundation 

Dolphin Fund 

William & Gertrude Frohring Foundation 

GAR Foundation 


George Gund Foundation 


Haslinger Family Foundation 


Elaine and William Lamb 



S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust 


William C. Mulligan Charitable Gift Fund 


Marion Olson 

The Payne Fund 

Orvis Perkins Foundation 




Sears Swetland Foundation 


Kent H. Smith Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Spira 

The Billie Howland Steffee Family Fund 

Nelson Talbott Foundation 



WRLC REGIONAL BRIDGE FUND 

OPERATING BUDGET 

$3,500,000 

$3,000,000 

$2,500,000 

$2,000,000 

$1,500,000 

$1,000,000 

$ 500,000 

$- 

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 

YEAR 

Regional Bridge Requirement 

Annual Operating Revenue 

Don and Janet Peters protected their 14 

acres in Russell Township with an easement 

in 1987 that is now held by WRLC. 

21

EverGreen EverBlue 

Supporters 

VIKKI & PETER BROER 

Honorary Chairs 

LYDIA HARRINGTON 

Event Chair 

EverGreen EverBlue 2006 

On the evening of Friday, September 8, 2006, 470 people gathered at 

the Bratenahl estate of Vikki and Peter Broer to celebrate their passion for 

conservation at WRLC’s third benefit, EverGreen EverBlue. This fund raising 

event netted nearly $250,000 for WRLC. 

The evening entailed 

· Blue and green martinis, the evening’s signature drink, an assortment 

of fine wines generously provided by Stewart Cellars of California’s 

Temecula Valley and an assortment of beer generously provided by 

the Great Lakes Brewing Company. 

· A tour of the 16,000-square-foot lakeside home and impressive 

gardens of our host. 

· A raptor show by Harvey Webster of the Cleveland Museum of 

Natural History. 

· WRLC Board Chair Jim Spira welcomed and addressed the guests 

followed by an address and auction of symbolic acres of land by 

Rich Cochran, president/CEO of WRLC, that raised $175,000. 

· Dinner under a crisp white tent at tables accented with blue and 

green table linens and centerpieces of water lilies, cattails, and 

lavender irises. 

· Music provided by Chapter 11. 

Our thank you to Preview Party Sponsor Edgepark Surgical and 

Presenting Sponsor Kinetico Incorporated and corporate sponsors: CJR 

Group, Inc; Nordson; McDonald Hopkins Co., LPA; National City; and Sky 

Bank, Ohio Division. A special thank you to event chair Lydia Harrington. 

22 

Kinetico, Inc. 

Edgepark 

Sky Bank 

National City 

The CJR Group, Inc. 

Nordson Corporation Foundation 

McDonald Hopkins Co, LPA 

Dr. and Mrs. Samir Ahuja 

Dick and Joan Ainsworth 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ames 

Pat Aveni 


Michael and Vivianne Barrett 

Mr. Richard Berg 

Dr. John and Dr. Wilma Bergfeld 

Mr. Mark Biche 

Linda and Lane Blackburn 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Blakeslee 

Mr. and Mrs. Leon Blazey 

Richard J. Blum and Harriet L. Warm 

Rob and Peg Bobel 

Joyce and David Bock 



Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Bower 

Gregory and Susan Box 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Broer 

Mr. and Mrs. Jere H. Brophy 

James and Jamie Brotherton 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Brownell II 



Steve Cadwell and Sophie Murad 

Ms. Katherine Callahan 

Mr. and Mrs. Donald B. Campbell 

Mr. Philip Campbell 

Mr. Michael Cannon and Ms. Marie Saul 

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Carlson, Jr. 

Kay Carlson 

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Carlson, Jr. 

Mr. and Mrs. William Caster 

Edith Chase 


Pat and Jeff Chokel 


Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Cole 

Mr. Zachary Coleman and Ms. Betty Vandenbosch 


The Great Lakes Brewing Company 

Rick and Suzanne Cooper 


Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cowan 


Mr. and Mrs. Terry Davidson 

Ms. Daryl Davis 

Ms. Connie K. Degood 

Marilyn P. Demeter 

Claire McMillan, David Bock, Bill Weil, Sandy 

Weil, Jeff Hale and Janet Hale enjoyed a sunset 

on the shores of Lake Erie. 

Julie Boland and John Gannon. 

“When we see land as a community 

to which we belong, we may begin to 

use it with love and respect.” 

Richard and Louise Dunn 

Debra L. Eger 



Mr. and Mrs. Gene Faubel 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Fenn 

Mr. Keith W. Filip 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Fissel 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Frenchie 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Fuller 

John Gannon and Julie Boland 

Mr. and Mrs. James Gerspacher 

Nancy and Ted Goble 

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Gokorsch 

Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Gratry 

Janet L. Gremba 

ALDO LEOPOLD 

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Grimm 


Ms. Jill Grinham 

Dr. and Mrs. Francis R. Gross 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gudbranson 

Phillip and Barbara Gutmann 

Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Hale 


Mr. and Mrs. James Hambrick 

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Harrington 

Mr. and Ms. Ron M. Harrington 

H. Clark Harvey, Jr. and Holly A. Selvaggi 

Janet and Paul Havener 

Ruth and Susan Hawker 

Bob and Mary Hoerner 



Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hollington 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holzman 

Janet Hoover 

Michael and Patricia Horvath 


Mr. Charles W. Hridel 

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Hridel 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hutchinson 


Jeff and Suzi Hyde 

Sarah Jane and Roger Ingraham 

Dr. and Mrs. Adam Jacobs 

Ms. Nancy D. Jacobson 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom W. Johnson 

Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Jones 

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Jordan 

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Joyce 


Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Kassouf 

Keith Kerman and Debra Leizman 

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Kinkaid 

Mr. and Mrs. George Klein 

Mr. and Mrs. John Kohl 

Madelyn Koltcz 

Ronald Kotkowski 

John M. and S. Manning Kundtz Fund 

Elaine and William Lamb 

Gretchen and Bob Larson 

Dr. and Mrs. Martin G. Laskey 



Thomas and Kathy Leiden 

Dr. Edith Lerner 


Karl Liske and Garnet Byrne 

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Livingston 

Stephen M. Luczek, M.D. 

Dale and Sue Lyons 

Ms. Linda Macklin 

Craig and Carla Macklin 


Jennifer Malkin 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Manuel 

Ms. Vicki Marshall 

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Mavec 

Mr. Peter McCarren and Ms. Stacey Feiner 

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher McKenna

Carol Prior, Rich Cochran and Bill Prior. 

Wendy Malgieri, Peter Broer and Cindy Murphy. 

Faith Pescatore and Kitty and John Makley. 

Harvey Webster, from the Cleveland 

Museum of Natural History, brought a 

special guest. 

Dot and Don Campbell. 

Nancy Harrington, Bud Talbott, Kathy O’Neill, 

and Ron Harrington. 

John Leech, Steve Lazarus and Pat Leech. 

WRLC Board Chair Jim Spira thanks event chair 

Lydia Harrington and hosts Vikki and Peter Broer. 

Guests dined al fresco on a catered dinner from 

Elan Catering. 

Gene and Marion Faubel. 

A dining tent was erected overlooking 

the home and gardens of our host. 

Mr. and Mrs. Steve McLaughlin 


Mr. and Mrs. S. Sterling McMillan IV 


Mr. and Mrs. Mark Mendes 


Lee and Linda Miller 

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Miltner 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Miner 


Mr. and Ms. Thomas Morley 



Mr. and Mrs. William Mulligan 

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Murphy 

Susan Murphy 

Mr. and Mrs. John Naylor 


Ms. Stephanie Niehaus 

Ms. Bebe Ober 

Mr. and Mrs. John Olejko 

Marion Olson 

Rory and Dedee O’Neil 

Ms. Rita O’Neill 


Ken and Katie Outcalt 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Owen 

Tom and Sally Pate 


Priscilla Patterson 


Kate Pilacky and Mr. David DiTullio 

Karen Heider Pilarski and Joseph Heider 


Mr. and Mrs. Claiborne Rankin 


Mike and Susan Renda 

Dr. and Mrs. Rod Rezaee 

Mr. and Mrs. Sean Richardson 

Mr. Joshua Rubin 

Mr. and Mrs. Joel Rudicil 


Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schubert 

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Seelbach 

Mr. Jeffrey Selerowski 


Mark Skowronski and Michelle Kahlenberg 

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Skowronski 

Vince and Becky Slusarz 

Miriam G. Smead 

Mr. and Mrs. Richey Smith 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Smith 

Mr. Scott Smith 

Chris and Vicki Soukup 

Ms. Lee-Ann Spacek 

Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Spano 

Mr. and Mrs. James Spira 

Ms. Jane Springer 

Mr. Gilbert Steinen 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sternad 

Mr. and Mrs. James Streicher 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Strickland 

Joyce and Greg Studen 

Mr. and Mrs. John Sulak 

Ms. Mary Ann Swansiger 

Scott Swierkosz and Lee Will 

Mr. Nelson Talbott 

Mr. Bruce Thomas 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thomas 

Mr. Jack Thorp 

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Tkach 

Anne and Tom Tormey 

Trout Unlimited, Emerald Necklace 

Chapter, #133 

Mr. and Mrs. William Tuttle 


The Weathertop Foundation 

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Van de Motter 

Musette T. Vincent 

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Wagner 

Doug Johnson and Tracy Wallach 


Mr. and Mrs. Rick Webb 


Mr.and Mrs. William C. Weil 

Pysht Fund 

Mr. and Mrs. Blair Whidden 

Mr. and Mrs. Dickson Whitney Jr. 


Mr. Donald Woodcock 

Lynne Woodman & Bill Wendling 

Gloria and Alan Wright 

Mr. and Ms. Michael Yaksic 

Zion, Synek & Associates 

Mr. and Mrs. James Zuccaro 

23

A Look at our Events 

during the Year 

During the past year we’ve 

· Hiked throughout the Western Reserve during 

each of the four seasons 

· Taken to the creeks for critter searches with 

the kids 

· Celebrated autumn with fall festivals in 

Medina and Chesterland 

· Planted trees 

· Greeted the coming of spring with a maple 

syrup festival 

Medina Summit fall festival. 

Peg Bobel, Suzanne Serinak and Rob Bobel on the new 

Richfield park property. 

· Visited a dairy farm in Lorain County that 

makes milk for specialty cheese 

· Celebrated our successes with a conservation 

celebration 

· Shown our support for WRLC with 

fundraising events throughout the region 

· Brought 470 conservationists together at the 

annual EverGreen EverBlue benefit 

Firelands wildflower hike. 

More kids in the creek. 

Lorain County paw paw hike. 

24 

Laurel School creek event. 

Kids in the creek. 

Firelands annual meeting and silent auction.

Who Are the WRLC 

Tributaries 

MISSION STATEMENT 

The Tributaries (Tribs) seek to create a respect 

and appreciation for the out-of-doors and our natural 

resources through the education of young people and 

their families as to the benefits of nature, open space, 

and land conservation. We do this through hands-on 

activities designed to bring young individuals and 

families closer to nature. 

If you are looking for a fun way to get involved 

with WRLC, consider joining the Tribs! Contact Leah 

Whidden at 440-729-9621 or lwhidden@wrlc.cc 

Triple Tap at Patterson farm. 

Child overlooking floodplain at 

White North restoration project. 



“We can find happiness in protecting the world around us 

not only because we cherish it 

for its awesome beauty, power, and mystery, 

but because we cherish our fellow humans, 

those who live today and those who will live tomorrow.” 

JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU, 1910-1997 

A Great Day Outdoors. 

25

In Honor of 

Ms. Maia Balogh 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Allen 

Mr. and Mrs. John Lasch 

Mrs. Peg Bobel 

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Frey 

Mrs. Julia Bolton 

Mrs. John Hadden, Jr. 

Mr. David Hersman 


Ms. Leslie Hiller 


Mr. Dan Illes 

Debra Illes 

Ms. Kathy K. Leavenworth 

Mr. Kal Zucker 

Mary Livingston 

Mr. and Mrs. David Livingston 

Craig Stepien 


Thank you to the following people on behalf of 

WESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY AND OUR LOCAL CHAPTERS 

Sue and Dick Abbott 

Alice Ake 

Ned Baker 

Peter Balunek 

Sigrid Bergfeld 

Jeff Bittenbender 

John Blakeman 

Peg Bobel 

Julia and Charles Bolton 

Gail Butler 

Kate Callahan 

Karen Carlson 

Linda Carnegie 

Dorothy Carney 

Mark Sheldon Carrol 

Karen Chandell 

Dave Chew 

Kristen Collar 

Tom Conklin 

Jan Cooper 

Evan and Barbara Corns 

Margaret Cummins 

Britton Eichenauer 

Gay Eyerman 

Gerald Fallon 

Nancy Gilkeson 

Chad Gordon 

Sue and Dick Grimm 

Sharon and Dave Herzer 

Andrea Hill 

Sue Hines 

Joanne Hutchinson 

Lenore Hutchinson 

Jeffrey Kaplan 

John Katko 

Michael Kay 

George Klein 

Norby Lopez 

Ann and Bob Masternak 

Ed McKeon 

Sandra & Lee McMannis 

Claire & Sandy McMillan 

Fran Meyers 

Mike Miller 

Dan Miltner 

Rory O’Neil 

Connie Oney 

Tony Paskevich 

Jeff Pausch 

Molly Perkins 

Jack Pierson 

The Plzaks 

Miles Reed 

Eric Ripley 

Joe Rohan 

Tom Rohrer 

Mary Ann Romito 

Lauren Sabo 

Beth Sauerland 

Eric Severs 

Mike Sloan 

Shawn Spindell 

Dan Styer 

Paul Van Curen 

Max Walton 

Harvey Webster 

Lee Will 

Danielle Zavarella 

Jonathan Histed, Antipodes Consulting, LLC 

Dr. and Mrs. Ibrahim Eren, Brownhelm 

Horticultural Center 

Mike Mastrangelo, Chagrin Valley Nurseries 

Chagrin Valley Times 

Joan Demirjian 

Itamar Gat 

Amy Fulford of enlight 

Elan Catering 

EnSafe 

Kevin Bingham 

Mickey Rainey 

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. 

Geiger Ski & Sport Haus 

Chris Newman 

The Glenmede Trust Company 

Jan Havener 

Paul Neidhardt 

Grateful Ed’s Pancakes 

Pat Conway and Great Lakes Brewing Company 

Diane Lees of Hubbub Custom Bicycles & High 

Peaks Coffee Shop 

Jeff Hyde of Ideas in Focus 

Jeri Leigh Hruby of Lighthouse Graphics 

Dan Klimas, Lorain National Bank 

Mayfield Sandridge Club 

Matt Creech 

Patterson Farms 

POV Print Communications 

Pro on Call 

Neil Haffey 

Robert Johnson 

Sharon Center Veterinary Hospital 

Sign Design and Graphics Pro Ltd. 

Jim Watterson 

Mary Weber 

Western Reserve Bank 

Brian Harr 

P.M. Jones 

Ed McKeon 

Western Reserve Internet Services 

Salli Berman 

Bonnie Lafave 

Charlie Meyers 

Tracy Baker, White North Stables, Inc. 

Willoughby Brewing Company 

Zion, Synek & Associates 

Michelle Ritvo 

Kenn Synek 

Chagrin River Watershed Partners 

Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells 

Amy Holtshouse-Brennan 

Chagrin Valley Jaycees 

Cleveland Museum of Natural History 

Dr. James Bissell 

Renee Boronka 

Larry Rosche 

Nat Smith 

Countryside Conservancy 

Amalie Lipstreu, Farmland Center Program 

Firelands annual meeting and silent auction 

contributors and volunteers: 

Lizette Benzing, Rita Bishop, David DiTullio, 

Dorothy Hagerling, Jennifer McDowell, 

Charlotte Tiedman, Cheryl Towler 

Gates Mills Land Conservancy 

Kendal at Oberlin volunteers 

Oberlin College 

Dr. Mary Garvin 

Oberlin College Center for Service & Learning 


Ed Hammett 

Wetlands Education Team (W.E.T.) 

Western Reserve Historical Society 

WRLC Education and Outreach volunteers 

WRLC Just Horsin’ Around volunteers: 

Kim Backlund, Bass Energy, Karen Beres, Mary 

Ann Cook, Enviroscience, Inc., Fort Dodge 

Animal Health, Jeni Hren Gaffney, Carrie 

Hirko, Sue Klein, Elaine Lamb, Karen Pilarski, 

Stephanie Sires, Chris Williams, Woodscroft 

Surveying 

WRLC Tribs Volunteers 

The Wilderness Center 

Auburn Township Trustees 

City of Aurora 

Cleveland Metroparks 

Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District 

Geauga County Board of Commissioners 

City of Hudson 

Lorain County Metropolitan Park District 

Dan Martin 

Lorain Soil & Water Conservation District 

Nancy Funni 

Lorain USDA – NRCS 

Karl Schneider 

Medina Soil & Water Conservation District 

Village of Moreland Hills 

Ohio Department of Agriculture 

Michael Bailey 

Kelly Carneal 

Mark Forni 

Kristen Jensen 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources 

Yetty Alley 

Rick Gardner 

Steve Holland 

Sandra Kosek-Sills 

Sean Logan, Director 

Nancy Strayer, Assistant Chief of the 

Division of Natural Areas & Preserves 

Greg Schneider 

Dameyon Shipley 

John Watkins, Chief of the Office of 

Coastal Management 

Mark Wilthew 

Ohio EPA 

Mark Bergman 

Randy Bournique 

Ted Conlin 

Natalie Farber 

Russ Gibson 

Theresa Gordon 

Lauren McEleney 

Mick Micacchion 

Jerry Rouch 

Kevin Spurbeck 

Martha Spurbeck 

Ohio Public Works Commission 

Larry Bicking, Director 

Old Woman Creek Estuary 

Heather Elmer 

Frank Lopez 

Portage Park District 


Village of Richfield 

Russell Township Park Commission 

Village of South Russell 

Stark County Park District 

Stark Soil & Water Conservation District 

Summit Soil and Water Conservation District 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Kurt Waterstrandt 

Kristin Westad 

Wayne Soil & Water Conservation District 

Lorain County Commissioner Betty Blair 

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown 

Former U.S. Senator Mike DeWine 

Ohio Senator Tim Grendell 

Jennifer Lynch, Governor’s office 

U.S. Congressman David Hobson 

U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur 

U.S. Congressman Steve LaTourette 

U.S. Congressman Ralph Regula 

U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan 

U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones 

U.S. Senator George Voinovich 

26 

Wake Robin 

“The greatest use of a life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” WILLIAM JAMES

Former Trustees 

Mr. Dick Abbott 

Mr. Jay Abercrombie 

Mr. Ugur Aker 

Ms. Barbara Andreas 

Mr. Malvin Bank 

W. Douglas Bannerman 

Mr. Ted Bartlett 

Mr. David Becker 

Leigh A. Bennett 

Mrs. Toni Bernet 

Mr. Joe Biaglow 

Ms. Priscilla Blanchard 

Mrs. Peg Bobel 

Mr. Brad Bolton 

Mrs. Katherine Bolton 

Mrs. Lynda Bowers 

Mr. Richard Brockett 

Mrs. Vikki Broer 

Mr. James Burns 

Mr. Bret Busacker, Esq. 

Mr. Don Butler 

Mrs. Lisa Caraboolad 

Luce Cesar-Jedacek 

Mr. Charles Chlysta, III 

Mr. Ron R. Clark 

Mr. Jim Cochran 

Betty Cope 


Evelyn Czyz 

Laura Anne De Young 

Ms. Susan Dechant 

Mr. Bourne Dempsey 

Mr. George Dietrich 

Ms. Karen Doty 

Mr. John Eberly 

Mr. John Eklund 

Mr. Kevin J. Ellison 

Ms. Heather Elmer 

Mr. Bob Faber 

Ms. Patricia Fairless 


Ms. Marilyn Fedelchak-Harley 

Mr. John Fender 

Mrs. Susan Ferrito 

Mr. Allen Ford 

Romi Fox 

Mr. Thomas Franek 

Mr. Glenn Frohring 

Mr. William Garvey 

Ms. Mary Garvin 

Ann Gifford 

Mr. Jay Giles 

Mr. John Gillette 

Mr. William Ginn 

Mr. Jonathan Granville 

Mrs. Barbara Gratry 

Mr. Jerome Gratry 

Ms. Dona Greene 

Mr. John Gresock 

Ms. Laurel Gress 

Mr. Clark Hahn 

Mr. Russ Hansen 

Mr. Bob Hasenyager 

Mrs. Helen Hazlett 

Ms. Karen Heider Pilarski 

Mr. Peter S. Hellman 

Ms. Elizabeth Hendricks 

Mrs. Peg Hetrick 

Mr. Thomas Heydinger 

Mr. Scott Hill 

Mr. Matt Hils 

Mrs. Lauralee Howley 

Dr. Scott R. Inkley 

Mr. Scott Jackson 

Mr. Jim Karabec 

Ms. Charlotte Karson 

Mr. Frank Kendrick 

Mr. Steve Klonowski 

Ms. June Kosich 

Mr. Ron Kotkowski 

Jamie Krejsa 

Mr. Carl Kudrna 

Mr. J. Andrew Kundtz 

Mrs. Stephanie Kutsko 

Mrs. Elaine Lamb 

Mrs. Pat Leech 

Mr. John Licastro 

Ms. Janet Lipstreu 

Ms. Nancy London 

Mr. Dale Lyons 

Mr. Charles Marotta 

Mr. George R. Mateyo 

Mr. Bruce Mavec 

Mr. William McCoy 

Mrs. Judith McMillan 

Mr. Mel Mellis 

Mr. Edward F. Meyers 

Mr. Stephen C. Morris 

Mrs. Debbie Nash 


Mr. Paul Neidhardt 

Mr. Daniel Nelson 

Mr. Paul Novosel 

Mr. William J. O’Neill, Jr. 

Ms. Bebe Ober 

Mr. John Pais 

Mr. James Patterson 


Ms. Ava Joyce Peterson 

Kate Pilacky 

Mr. Guy Powers 

Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin 

Ms. Cathy Ricks 

Ms. Jody Lee Ritter 


Mr. Dan Ruch 

Mrs. Pat Rydquist 

Mr. Charles E. Schmid 

Mr. Bill Schultz 

Virginia Shaw 

Mr. Dick Sheller 

Mrs. Asa Shiverick, Jr. 

Ms. Jody Shroath 

Sr. Patricia Sigler 

Ms. Stephanie Sires 

Mr. Jack F. Smith 

Mr. Chris Soukup 

Mrs. Christine Spano 

Mr. Thomas Stanley 

Mr. Ray Stewart 

Mr. Stan Stine 

Mr. Rick Strong 

Mr. Greg Studen 

Mrs. Cynthia Szunyog 

Jean Hower Taber 

Mr. Nelson S. Talbott 

Ms. Karen Tanquist 

Mr. James Tighe 

Mr. Livingston H. Ulf 

Mr. Curt Van Blarcum 

Ms. Sandy VerDuin 

Mr. Andy Vidra 

Mr. Chris Vild 

Ms. Iva Walker 

Mr. Tom Walter 

Mr. Phillip Warburton 

Ms. Ann Ward 

Mr. Ralph Waszak, Sr. 

Mrs. Mary Weber 

Mrs. Charles D. Weller 

Dr. Wallace Wendt 

Mr. John D. Wheeler 

Mrs. Christine Williams 

Mr. Carter Wilmot 

Ms. Lynne Woodman 

Mrs. Tracy Zuccaro 

Mr. Mike Zuilhof 

Warren, Don, Linda and Doris Plzak relax on their 

31 acres in Chagrin Falls, protected since 1998 by 

WRLC’s predecessor. 

In Memory of 

Mr. Howard Brollier 

Mrs. James Marsh 

Dr. William B. Chamberlin, Jr. 


Mr. John G. Farr 

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Farr 

Mr. J. Harvey Graves 

Mr. and Mrs. Joe D. Henninger 

Madge and Cub Hubbard 

Mr. and Mrs. James Hubbard 

Fathers of Judy and Russ Hall 

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Senders 

Mr. Harry Madroo 

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Mettee 

Mr. Ernest C. Martt 

Kenneth Anderson and Karin Knutsen 

Mr. James Artz and Ms. Jan Jones 

Mr. and Mrs. Don Berlincourt 

Mr. Michael Bramson 

Mrs. George Copeland 

Mr. and Mrs. James E. Culver 

Ms. Mary Heffernan 

Mr. and Mrs. Glen Johnson 

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Jouriles 

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Kaufman 

Ms. Lynn Mason 

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Matz 

Ms. Bebe Ober 

Ms. Jennifer Peters 

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Reynolds 

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Ross 

Mrs. Robert Scher 

Mr. and Mrs. Garland Scott 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Shelley 

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Simpson 

Ms. Margaret Sugar 

Mr. and Mrs. John Taylor 

Ms. Margaret Thurston 

Valley Art Center, Inc. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Wahler 

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Wells 

Mr. Sean P. Meyers 

Academy Communications, Inc. 

Mr. and Mrs. John Birckline 

Century Equipment 

Cleveland Chapter HOG 

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Fisher 

Freedom Harley-Davidson, Inc. 

GC Supply, Inc. 

Ms. Karen Huebner 

Mr. and Mrs. Rick Jerkovitz 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kawalics 

Mr. and Mrs. Ward L. Kinney 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Koller 

Ms. Theresa Lanesky 

Ms. Susan Lepp 

Mid-State Golf Car 

Mr. Charles Morrill 

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel O’Connor 

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Offtermatt 

Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Pate 

Paul T. Murphy, Co. L. P. A. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Rogge 

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Shaw 

Snavely Excavating Company 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Talenda 

Mr. Jeff Weiler 

Mr. Roger C. Mills 

Patricia Mills 

Mr. Sterling Newell, Jr. 

Mr. Bruce Hearey 

Kit and Kay Ober 

Bebe Ober 

Mrs. Shari Lynne Pais 

Mr. and Mrs. John S. Bobel 

Mr. and Mrs. James Fern 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jennings 

Ms. Anne Naugle 

Mr. and Mrs. Dale Neuman 

Kate Pilacky and David DiTullio 

Dr. and Mrs. Wallace Wendt 

Mr. Barry Wilford and Ms. Julie DeMark 

Mr. Robert H. Reboul 

Mrs. Lynn Rebout 

Mrs. Eleanor Wolodzko 

Mr. and Mrs. L. Abraham 

Mr. Gary Buehner 

Ms. Debra Cooper 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hutchinson 

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Luli 

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Olecki 

Mr. Ron Oranski 

Mrs. Brenda Powers 

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Sable 

Mrs. Florence Skala 

Mrs. Ginny Skala 

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Sparenga 

Mr. and Mrs. Blair M. Whidden 

Ms. Margarete Ziegler 

27

Non-Profi t Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Cleveland, OH 

Permit No. 1 

Nice catch! 

“The ultimate test of a moral society 

is the kind of world 

that it leaves to its children.” 

DIETRICK BONHOEFFER 

Pumpkins for sale! 

Let’s go fishin’ in the crawdad hole! 

Tiger swallowtail on joe pye. 


P.O. Box 314 · Novelty, Ohio 44072 

Phone: 440-729-9621 • Fax: 440-729-9631 

e-mail: info@wrlc.cc • www.wrlc.cc 

Printed on recycled paper with soy based inks.

OUR LAND. OUR LEGACY. - Western Reserve Land Conservancy

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