Gifts for the Future

LOVE OF NATURE STARTED EARLY

Growing up, Dr. Beth Salerno’s family spent a lot of time camping in local and national parks―a great way for a working family to enjoy lakes, oceans, ranger-led tours and beautiful landscapes. At home, Beth learned to appreciate all that nature provides when she ate tomatoes and cucumbers from her father’s vegetable garden or smelled the zinnias and coneflowers her mother planted in their backyard.

Today Beth teaches American history at Saint Anselm College, a course of study that has helped her understand how important nature has been to all Americans, from Native Americans to immigrants of all kinds throughout the ages.

“Nature has fueled our development while nurturing our imaginations. We need to protect it as an economic, environmental and cultural resource,” she says.

Beth and her husband, Dr. Tod Ramseyer, appreciate the Conservancy’s science-based approach that incorporates economic opportunities and respects differing cultures and points of view.

“We admire The Nature Conservancy’s large scale focus and administrative efficiency,” says Beth. “The Conservancy finds common ground to move projects forward, sometimes creating unusual coalitions that benefit people and nature.”

A GIFT FOR THE FUTURE

When Beth and Tod were making wedding plans, they decided to create an estate plan as well.

“We wanted to ensure our money went to the causes we cared most about. It was simply a matter of knowing what you care about and putting that down on paper,” Beth says. “We named the Conservancy as a beneficiary of our retirement plans and life insurance policies.”

Their estate plan will simplify the process for Beth and Tod’s family and ensure that their wishes are followed.

“We won't need the money when we are gone, but The Nature Conservancy will,” says Beth. “Having a plan ensures that those we leave behind aren’t burdened and that our hard-earned savings will be directed toward people and causes we care most about.”