What's New

Jacob Sell Hicks / Janet Gee

Rob Sartwell

November 9, 2023

Embracing open horizons: your impact on sustainability and open space

James Wylie Huffman, Executive Director of the Indian River Lakes Conservancy (IRLC), recently took part in the inaugural meeting of the Open Space Conservation Plan advisory committee for our region, signaling the launch of a transformative effort to update the 2016 NYS Open Space Conservation Plan. As this vital initiative gains momentum, our involvement reflects a recognition of IRLC and its supporters’ leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship.

Open space solves problems

Embedded in the very essence of the Open Space Conservation Plan are the urgent aspirations of our era—preserving water quality, defending wildlife habitats, tackling climate change, and amping up the quality of life in our communities.

In a world where environmental alarms are blaring, open space planning emerges as the answer we’ve been waiting for.

Collectively, we can do more

But here’s where it gets exciting: it’s you, our passionate members and donors, who are the unsung heroes driving this transformative change.

Your support is the fuel propelling the IRLC’s vigorous contribution to updating the Conservation Plan, syncing perfectly with the beats of the November 2022 Bond Act and the 30 x 30 Global initiative.

As the committee’s gears grind from September 2023 to June 2025, your fingerprints, alongside Wylie’s, are all over this narrative.

Through your contributions, the goals of open space planning championed by the IRLC gain a heartbeat—an emotional symphony of collective responsibility, ensuring the ecosystems dance, communities thrive, and our planet enjoys a long and harmonious encore.