Inside RLEP, Winter-Spring 2006

by Paul Farmer, President

It just keeps getting better and better. In 2005, RLEP members (nearly 400 now) responded to our appeals to keep their RLEP membership current by generously donating dollars to support the environmental agenda that we have been promoting for Rappahannock County: clean water, safe and secure habitats for wildlife and native plants, dark skies, sludge-free croplands, alternative-energy education, slow-growth policies, land conservation, responsible land-use planning, ridge-top and steep-slope protection, preservation of historic and cultural sites…the list goes on. Of course, each initiative is a challenge that taxes our human and financial resources.

Thankfully, the volunteers keep coming too. Jill and Jed Duvall are prime examples. They and their growing team, under the sponsorship of RLEP, have worked hard to put together the Piedmont Alternative Energy Expo. The expo will be at the Fauquier County Fairgrounds in Warrenton in May. Come see how alternative-energy sources can be used to power homes, cars, fountains, and other technologies. You will be amazed at how far the technology has come and how much costs have declined.

The good news about all the generous donations we received in 2005 is that RLEP balanced its budget and started 2006 prepared to tackle several important environmental projects. The bad news is that programs that make a difference are often not cheap—and continuing to grow RLEP into a more effective organization will take money, too. We have a tiny office space, an ancient computer, and no telephone or Internet connection. We also have no paid staff—no administrative assistant, grant writer, executive director, or office help of any kind. This lack of specialized, professional, paid help causes us to wear out volunteers, reduces our effectiveness, and slows our progress toward developing a better organization. It is amazing how successful we have been under the circumstances. But the stream of volunteers is not endless, and we could be ahead of where we are if we could afford to move RLEP to the next level.

We are always on the lookout for more volunteers and more donations. This will be another year of new initiatives, advancing programs, educational publications, and organizational development. Please consider how you could help all of this come to pass…and by all means, please keep your membership current! With good planning, a few more volunteers and new members, and your continued generosity, we will balance our budget again this year and have more successes to celebrate at our annual meeting in October.

In the meantime, please visit our website regularly. RLEP events unfold quickly throughout the warm months; we often do not have the lead time to publish notices about them in RLEP News. Our website is updated regularly and contains a wealth of information and news on numerous subjects and activities. It is perhaps your best ongoing link to us.