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"A Life Worth Emulating"
Ben Holland loved the outdoors. It probably began when, as a child, Ben
would accompany the family on weekend trips to the Laurel Mountains. As he
grew to manhood, his relationship with nature matured as well, with a
commitment to protect our fragile world becoming a defining trait in his
young life.
"Our son had a love and respect for the outdoors. He fought forest fires in the Northwest
and worked to save Alaskan wildlife affected by the Exxon oil spill," his
father notes with an unfortunate mixture of pride and pain.
When James G. Holland and his wife Pamela Meadowcroft lost their son
three years ago, they wanted to do something to commemorate his life. It was
clear that any memorial would have to encompass Ben's love of the outdoors.
"We wanted to commemorate his life, but we felt that naming a trail after
him wouldn't begin to capture Ben's active dedication to protecting nature,"
Pam said.
Since December 1998, the Benjamin Thomas Holland Memorial Fund has helped to
fund WPC's Volunteer Land Steward Program. Pam and Jim began the fund as a
tribute to their son, because they felt the principles of the Conservancy's
Land Stewardship Program reflected Ben's values.
An important component of the Volunteer Land Steward Program is to teach
volunteers to be WPC's eyes and ears in the field. The program is designed
to educate individuals on conservation issues and ethics, and equip them
with the skills needed to effectively monitor the resources that WPC
protects on its properties and easements.
WPC currently owns 15,000 acres and is responsible for easements on roughly
another 25,000 acres. Without the aide of the land stewards, Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy would simply not be able to protect this land.
Jim and Pam are so dedicated to the success of the program that their
connection goes well past their financial support. They are also active land
stewards themselves.
"There's a greater satisfaction when you can do both," Pam said. "You really
come to appreciate the need for this program and you feel like you're making
a difference."
Jim says he and Pam particularly appreciate the educational component of the
program. "Some of the volunteers come with a fair amount of knowledge about
biology and conservation. We did not. Our outdoor expertise was limited to
hiking and weekend gardening. So for people like us, the program is a great
way to learn about things like invasive species and how best to protect our
natural world," Jim said."The WPC staff are cool and fun to be around."
Jim knows well the importance of education. Since 1965, he has been a
professor of behavioral psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Pam
recently retired after 20 years as deputy executive director for The
Pressley Ridge Schools, an organization that works to improve the lives of
troubled children and their families.
Jim and Pam are dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of the land steward
program. Their commitment and act of generosity benefit all who share a love
of the outdoors.
"We'd really like the program to get a financial base so that it has its own
endowment for training and staff support," Pam said. "Educated volunteers
are really the future for saving the land we care about."
If you would like to support the Volunteer Land Steward Program by
contributing to the Benjamin Thomas Holland Memorial Fund, donations may be
sent to Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Benjamin Thomas Holland Memorial
Fund at: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, 209 Fourth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
15222.
Click here to donate to the Benjamin T. Holland Memorial Fund on our secure site.
