Saturday, July 2, 2011

Phase I: rebuilding the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve shed [July 10]

Dear Supporters of the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve,

On the night of Sunday, June 26th, the shed at the Preserve was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The entire contents of the shed and materials around the shed are a complete loss. You can see a video of the fire at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QcQrqZn-HE. If you are on Facebook, you can see a picture of what remains of the shed at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2169653918031&set=o.45415782994&type=1&theater.

Although some surrounding trees were scorched, we hope that there is not lasting damage. We are beginning to make plans to rebuild the shed and get new tools so that we can continue to maintain the Preserve for education and enjoyment of neighbors and visitors.

So, in the spirit of a barn raising, please join us on Sunday, July 10 at 2pm for a shed-clearing party. We will work on clearing the debris from the shed into the dumpster that has been delivered to the site. Please bring work gloves and any tools that you think you might need. Then, starting at 5pm, we invite everyone for a picnic at the Preserve. Bring your lawn chairs and your picnic and join us in making a new start. We will be collecting donations toward the cost of replacing the shed and the tools. Once we have a new shed in place, we will also be looking for donations of new or lightly used tools.

If you can’t make it to the shed clearing party, but would still like to support rebuilding the shed and replacing the tools, you can make your tax-deductible donation to the Preserve online at http://www.cshepherdpreserve.org/membership.php.

Thanks again for your support of the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve, especially during this time, and we look forward to seeing you on July 10.

Chris Beck
President, Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve


What was left after the fire... 
If it could burn or melt, it did. Once the new shed is built, please consider donating new or lightly used tools. 
The fire left scorch marks on nearby trees. There was also damage to foliage above but as Chris said, the trees hopefully will recover.