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BECOME A MEMBER
We really appreciate your support!
Your contributions help us to maintain Weston's treasured trails, fields, and vistas.
Join/donate online · Pay by check · George Bates Fund
Join/donate online
Our membership levels are as follows:
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Naturalist - $35
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Explorer - $70
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Guardian - $100
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Steward - $250
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Trailblazer - $500
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George Bates Society - $1000
To make a contribution using your PayPal account (via the PayPal Giving Fund)*, please follow this link:
* Please note:
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If, in addition to your membership, you want to purchase a map, book, or any other item for sale, please purchase those separately via the links on our Maps and Books page. The PayPal Giving Fund is only for membership/donation, and NOT for purchases.
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FYI: if you donate through the PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF), you will be emailed a tax receipt from PPGF, and then will get a separate informal thank you email from WFTA.
If you prefer to donate via credit/ debit card, please use this link:
If you have any questions about how to donate, please contact us at westonforesttrail@gmail.com.
Note that:
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We are a 501.c.3 charitable organization and all contributions are tax deductible.
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A gift of any amount is welcome!
Pay by check
If you wish to donate by check, please make the check out to:
WESTON FOREST AND TRAIL ASSOCIATION, INC.,
print and fill out this form (PDF), and mail it to:
Weston Forest and Trail Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 665
Weston, MA 02493
George Bates Fund
Our Fund is vital to our mission.
Funding our campaign
WFTA has a campaign to expand the Fund to ensure that land stewardship activities can be continued and enhanced into the future.
The role of the Weston Forest and Trail Association requires a significant amount of skilled field and office support. Nearly all of this work is currently done by volunteers. Key support activities include:
Land stewardship
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Conservation restriction and land title record keeping
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Baseline field surveys which document existing conservation land and land under conservation restriction
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Periodic field visits to identify encroachment
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Contacting landowners and defining remedies to encroachment
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Working with the town to develop the GIS system and incorporate information about conservation land and conservation restrictions into the data base
Landowner outreach and support with conservation planning
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Trail system design, development, and mapping
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Defining opportunities for new trails which connect or integrate existing open spaces and trails
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Negotiating easements
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Clearing new trails
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Updating and publishing the trail map and Trail Guide
Defining priorities for land conservation, for approaching private landowners, and for initiating efforts to preserve or shape development of land
Trail maintenance
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WFTA hires and pays for a professional trail maintenance person who assures the clearing and upkeep of the more than 90 miles of trails on all of Weston's conservation land.
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We identify and address specific maintenance issues as they are brought to our attention.
Organizing education, social, and hiking programs
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Association administration
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Membership recruiting
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Meetings and newsletters
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Financial management
Currently Weston Forest and Trail is primarily dependent on annual membership dues to fund operating expenses. A larger investment Fund, in combination with continued growth in membership and annual gifts, will provide a more stable base of funding to support current commitments including conservation monitoring and trail maintenance. The Association also plans to hire a part-time paid staff to support the volunteers, in order to create a more sustainable organization that is less dependent on a small group of long-serving volunteers.
As you consider large gifts and bequests, we would ask you to consider supporting our initiatives to maintain Weston’s rural character for the next 50 years.
To contribute, please make a donation online or by check. The Weston Forest and Trail Association is a 501.c.3 charitable organization, so all your contributions are tax-deductible.