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MESSAGE FROM THE PNJ PRESIDENT, February 2012

Contact: David H. Knights, President

             609 452-7720

             dknights@picusassociates.com

Six weeks into 2012, I look ahead to the schedule of activities that Preservation New Jersey will sponsor or participate in over the next few months and I am both excited and amazed.  These things do not happen without the active involvement of many people: staff, board members, and members of the organization.  And, with this flurry of activity, there is room for plenty of new volunteers!

On Friday, March 2 Preservation New Jersey will host Preservation Celebration 2012 at the Mansion at Bretton Woods in Morris Plains.  Details are posted on our website, www.preservationnj.org.  We hope that you will join us for a fun evening as we honor some remarkable preservation success stories.

The next day, Preservation New Jersey will be represented at a ceremony at the Vought House in Clinton. See  PNJ’s website  for exciting news on the progress this place has made since its 2010 10 Most Endangered listing.

On Wednesday, March 7, 2012, Stephanie Cherry-Farmer and I will travel to Washington, DC for a session led by Preservation Action.  This is an annual event that brings together preservationists from all over the country to discuss up-dates from the Federal agencies and also Congressional activities. This is a precursor to the annual historic preservation Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, which Preservation New Jersey organizes for New Jersey.  This will occur on Thursday, March 8 and participation by as many people as possible is encouraged.  I attended this for the first time last year and had a tremendous experience.  Preservation New Jersey uses this occasion each year to meet with several members of the New Jersey delegation and to remind them of the importance of Federal-level preservation initiatives and encourage their support for these policies and programs.  When the Representatives are not available, we have very productive sessions with staff members.

On Friday, March 30, 2012, the History Issues Convention will be held at the War Memorial in Trenton.  Preservation New Jersey is a co-sponsor (Preservation New Jersey members get a registration discount).  We will also be co-instructing an advocacy “how-to” session.  Additional information is available at the Advocates for New Jersey History’s website: www.njhistoryadvocates.org.

On Saturday, May 12 at Washington Crossing State Park there is the Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair.  Preservation New Jersey is developing a partnership program with a variety of local historic institutions around the state.  We will be using this occasion to showcase our own efforts and also those of our partners.  The event runs from 11 AM to 5 PM.

Preservation New Jersey’s announcement of 2012’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places will occur on May 16.  There will be a press conference in Trenton that always generates wide coverage.  The list has been generated since 1995.

May is the month that membership renewal letters go out.  I have set a goal of doubling the number of members of Preservation New Jersey between this year and next.  Preservation New Jersey does all of these things on a very limited budget.  We need members to renew in May, we need new members to join, and we need the active support of volunteers from around the state.


Thank you and please stay tuned for an announcement within the next month of an additional, entirely new venture for Preservation New Jersey!