Annual Meeting 2009
All pictures courtesy of Paul Rifkin
A Tribute to Jaci Barton
by Joe Hawley, current BLT board member & former board president.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Long ago a wise man said, “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.” That man was Albert Einstein, one of the unique geniuses of the last century. His words ring true even more so today in this electronic age, in this fast-paced world that we live in, even here on Cape Cod.
Not only are we here tonight to celebrate the latest achievements of Barnstable Land Trust and to bestow BLT’s Annual Founders’ Award to Sue Nickerson – but we are also here to honor a genius of another kind, Jaclyn Barton.
In preparing this tribute, I spoke with several people who have worked with Jaci over the years. The one attribute I heard over and over that best described the person who Mark Robinson calls “the Dean of Land Conservation on Cape Cod,” was determination. Jaci has determination in spades!
Jaci joined what was then known as the Barnstable Conservation Foundation as Executive Director in April of 1985. She has led BLT through a period of growth and accomplishment to be envied by any organization, for-profit or non-profit, operating on Cape Cod. From modest beginnings of a donation of .69 acres of land and 59 members to the 750+ acres now under BLT’s stewardship and membership of over 1600, the one constant has been Jaci Barton.
Jaci, like many of us, is a “wash-ashore,” having grown up in Baltimore, Maryland and eventually moving to Cotuit. But if ever a “wash-ashore” made the transition to true Cape Codder in heart, soul and giving back to the community, it is Jaci Barton. Before she came to BLT she was an active town councilor and an advocate of open space preservation. Her hiring was a major step forward for this organization and her leadership has moved BLT further than even she could have imagined in 1985.
The accomplishments and successful land projects are too numerous to list, and I would prefer to point out her attributes as a leader, organizer and champion of land conservation. Jaci is one of the lucky people who can honestly say that she made her passion her profession! She is described by her peers as a miracle worker, an inspirational leader who can talk with anybody and whose passion is infectious.
Jaci’s ability to sift through the details of complex land transfers – involving numerous parties, many roadblocks, and sometimes last-minute crises to overcome – is truly amazing. I’m not sure I know any professional who has her unique ability to envision the end result and keep the process moving toward it!
Jaci once described her training and background with the following summary: “I like to say my degree is in interior design but now I practice exterior design.”
In coming up with a closing worthy of Jaci’s contributions to BLT, the Town of Barnstable and Cape Cod, I am struck by the famous conservationist John Muir’s quote: “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
BLT is fortunate to have Jaci Barton attached to it as she has helped make this part of our world on Cape Cod a much better place now and for future generations. Thank you, Jaci.