Welcome

Welcome to the Countryside Conservancy website. It’s a work in progress – a bit like tomatoes ripening on the vine. A few are deliciously ready, some are almost there, and a lot of little green ones are beginning to form everywhere.

In that respect, our website is rather like the Countryside Conservancy as an organization. We began life helping Cuyahoga Valley National Park revitalize the picturesque old farms still surviving in the park. And that tomato is ripening nicely! So are our first two farmers' markets. And now we've got little green tomatoes – er, programs and initiatives – beginning to grow all around Northeast Ohio. Click on About Us for an overview.

Our first “website seeds” were planted in the spring of 2004 – but alas, the poor things were sadly neglected. And the results were little green tomatoes that never really ripened. So, we replanted in 2005 and did a much better job of watering and weeding – resulting in a pretty good crop, if we do say so. In 2006 we completed "succession plantings" throughout the year, growing some great food-for-thought.

It’s now 2007– a whole new website season, so to speak. We hope our website continues to grow that same food-for-thought – about the nature of food and farming, land and community, the environment and economy.

Give us a taste – and send us your tips on how we continue to grow.