TNC Campaign

If you have been reading this blog for any time at all you already know we are currently set up on Silver Lake in New Hampshire. Our new friends Mark and Bonnie who invited us out as well as family members John and Lolly have extended to us the opportunity to participate in a campaign they are involved with through The Nature Conservancy (TNC.) The land around Silver Lake is a pine barrens forest which is becoming an increasingly rare ecosystem to find intact. TNC is endeavoring to raise money to purchase tracts of land to protect the Ossipee Pine Barrens and the Silver Lake watershed. I am here to tell you it is land and water worth protecting. The area is absolutely magical to wander through whether it be on foot through the forest or in a kayak or canoe out on the water.

We attended a gathering at neighbors Ted and Kathy's house on Saturday night which was led by a few trustees from TNC. They gave a talk on the ecological rarity and importance of the area here in the Mt. Washington Valley in the shadow of the White Mountains. Billy is of course going to be completing several paintings of this place over the next few weeks or months and has actually already finished two pieces. So we decided to make a contribution through his auctions of this work to benefit this campaign. There will be a new Silver Lake piece put up for auction every ten days or so for the next 6 or 8 weeks (possibly longer... we will see what the response is.) The percentage donated to TNC will be on a sliding scale as follows...

$49 -$200 = 10% sale price to TNC
$201-$500 = 20% sale price to TNC
$501-$800 = 30% sale price to TNC
$801 and Up = 40% sale price to TNC

The first piece goes up for auction tonight at ten o'clock eastern time. It's a view of Stacy Mountain (which sits due East of Mt. Chocorua in the White Mountain range) as seen from Cook's River heading back into Cook's Pond. This whole area is part of The Silver Lake Watershed and the lands to be purchased for protection. Here is the painting going up for auction tonight...



You can see a much larger version by clicking on the image. We have so enjoyed the opportunity to explore, photograph and paint this area we really hope there will be a great response to these special auctions and we can make a substantial contribution to this campaign. You can view the auction in detail or place a bid by clicking HERE.