Because of the COVID - 19 situation, the Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve Annual Meeting scheduled for June 20, 2020 has been postponed. It will be rescheduled as soon as health safety permits.
Mini-report
Greensprings continues to prosper. Many important projects were completed in the past year including the installation of new survey markers, re-roofing of the cottage and storage buildings, the removal of the dilapidated house trailer and chicken coop, and the clearing of many trees and invasive bushes to allow for future expansion and to support grassland species of birds, butterflies and bees. The Board of Trustees has also effectively managed the cemetery's funds to avoid the stock market decline and to take advantage of good interest rates on Treasuries and bank certificates of deposit. More information on all this will be available at the annual meeting.
Help Needed
A major challenge facing Greensprings has been the record-setting wet weather. The soft grounds have resulted in our wheeled vehicles getting stuck and making muddy messes. Despite being located on a hill, Greensprings suffers from clay soils that do not allow easy drainage. One solution is to obtain a tracked excavator. This type of vehicle tears up the ground less because the weight is spread over a bigger surface. It would be more time efficient for our dedicated volunteers because it can swivel and does not need support feet like wheeled excavators. It also can be equipped with a snowplow and grasping mechanism that would make removal of downed trees, cut bushes and debris piles much more effective and easier on volunteers.
The challenge, of course, is cost: a used vehicle costs around $30,000 and a new one $70,000. Greensprings' grave site and grave opening/closing fees are kept as low as possible to permit more people to join the Greensprings family. Thus, we do not have the cash flow for an extraordinary expense like this. Can you help? Many small contributions add up to a large amount and therefore are greatly apprciated, but a few large gifts would help us meet the goal much faster. All gifts are tax-deductible. Please send what you can to Treasurer,
Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve, P.O. Box 415, Newfield, NY 14867 or see our website for additional options: info@naturalburial.org. Thanks so much.
Herb Engman
Member, Board of Trustees