“We wanted to support local, so we became local supporters of Greenbelt Land Trust.”
Peter and Julianna Betjemann have discovered that conservation is a lot like parenting. As parents and professional educators, they want to expose their boys, Henry (6) and Teddy (3), to the outdoors, but Peter and Julianna now realize that they have been the ones exposed.
“If we give our boys a toy, their interest often lasts just minutes. If they find an anthill, the boys squat down and stare inquisitively for a long time. When I go at a kid’s pace, I slow down, crouch down, and notice details. I learn from my kids to be more present and I revel in their unfiltered lens of the natural world. When I’m more present, I better understand what’s around me. The undeveloped meadow I unknowingly biked past thousands of times I now know of as GLT’s Lupine Meadows and that it protects a sensitive ecosystem. Julianna has learned that the Mulkey Ridge trail and habitat she runs through are actively stewarded by GLT and are protected forever. I’ve learned these valuable lessons from my kids, and it has changed the way I look at open space. If we want to protect land forever, we must be good stewards of it. I trust GLT to have the expertise to fill this role.”
The Betjemanns want local land and water to be protected for their kids so that, together, they can explore and learn as they grow.
The Betjemanns wanted to support local conservation for their kids, so they became sustaining members of Greenbelt Land Trust.
