A group of approximately 100 attended a 25th anniversary celebration for The Watershed Foundation Friday, June 3.

By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

LEESBURG — The “start-up” objectives 25 years ago remain true 25 years later for The Watershed Foundation.

A celebration of TWF’s 25 years was held Friday evening, June 3, with close to 100 major supporters attending the event at Tippy Creek Winery, CR 200E, Leesburg.

A brief presentation was held during the event, with Andrew Grossnickle, president, welcoming the guests.

Jeff Thornburgh, one of the founders of The Watershed Foundation shared some of the history.

Jeff Thornburgh, one of the founding board members; Lyn Crighton, executive director; Patrick Tynan, legacy society member; and Aggie Sweeney, board member, each briefly spoke about the first 25 years, the next 25 years, legacy society and planned giving.

The evening closed with recognition and small gifts being presented to the top 25 donors of TWF.

Thornburgh, who has been named the unofficial historian, noted it was in September of 1997 when nine passionate individuals met on a Saturday morning to participate in the first Tippecanoe Environmental Lake and Watershed Foundation strategic planning workshop. The name was later changed to The Watershed Foundation.

That group did the typical strategic planning: an analysis on strengths and weaknesses. “We listed our strengths and had no weaknesses. We thought that being naive, knowing and believing we could not fail was a strength,” said Thornburgh. The group also identified the opportunities: clean water, project funding, preservation for future generations and a cooperative spirit in the watershed.

The objectives were to stop sedimentation and nutrient loading, education, government relations and homeowner responsibility.

The foundation’s first three projects were:

1. Indian Creek watershed detention system.
2. HanaBe Walker watershed treatment system.
3. Kuhn Ditch watershed treatment system.

Pam Thornburgh accepts an appreciation gift from Andrew Grossnickle, president of The Watershed Foundation. The top 25 donors to the TWF were honored with appreciation gifts at the close of the 25th Anniversary celebration Friday, June 3. These donors were noted as the “anchors” of the organization.

These projects took three years with the generosity of a significant number of lake neighbors and friends and the commitment of volunteers to see the projects through. “It did not come easy,” said Thornburgh.

“I am pleased to see that after 25 years, The Watershed Foundation seems to still be focused on these same basic objectives with the spirited determination from which the organization started,” concluded Thornburgh.

Crighton, who was hired as executive director in 2007, highlighted the next 25 years. She said the founding members had a deep passion to work together, take action and look at all the watershed. “We have been following their lead,” she said.

As an environmental scientist, she stated she could provide numbers on the amount of phosphorus reduction from the over 200 projects or how nine out of 10 monitoring sites have improved water quality and, of course, the upcoming sewer system around the lakes.

Instead, she focused on the important things people can see, hear, feel and enjoy. “That is what really is important,” she said, the efforts that allow people to get up, enjoy, relax, find solitude and beauty of the lake. She noted the osprey and bald eagles on the lake. “That’s what it has been about from the beginning and the next 25, next 25, next 25.

“The theme is sustainability, protect the water quality, be a challenger, a good neighbor, know how to successfully make a difference through education and informing people, spreading information and taking the scientific approach.”

Crighton encouraged those present to share information about TWF by displaying a yard sign where neighbors could see them, and to take a gift packet that included the new 25th anniversary logo, QR code and website.

“We want clean healthy lakes to enjoy today and for the future. Working together we can make that happen.”

Tynan touched on the legacy giving by adding TWF as a beneficiary to an IRA, life insurance policy and wills, while Sweeney spoke about estate planning.