Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

As a lifelong resident, of West Tisbury, I would like to send my heartfelt thanks the Woods family, The Nature Conservancy and the Vineyard Conservation Society for all their hard work over the last 25 years to preserve over 500 acres of open space for our town. Having seen so many changes in my town over my lifetime, I am grateful to know that there is at least one place that truly serves as a sanctuary for all wild things, and protects our ground and surface waters, including Tisbury Great Pond and its shellfisheries. To know that this piece of land will always do so is a gift to all of us.

It is not necessary for people to have access to every last place on this Island. Anyone who has stood on the overlook of the Waskosim’s Rock Reservation and looked out over the vista of protected open space including everything seen to the north and east of that hill knows this to be true.

The Woods family were excellent stewards of this land for nearly 100 years. How wonderful that they found a conservation group that will honor their land ethic into the future.

Prudence Burt, West Tisbury