For 25 years, religious congregations with ties to the Hudson River Valley have worked to protect the valley's ecological integrity. Individual congregations have preserved parts of their lands through easements; they also have served on a coalition that advocates for the valley.
The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of Greenfield, Wisconsin, are turning their estimated 200 acres near the Mississippi River into a living classroom for the local community. They have permanently committed the land to educational and collaborative sustainability projects.
Two congregations of Franciscan sisters — one in Iowa, the other in Minnesota — both preserved acres of their respective lands by establishing conservation easements. While motivations and the end result were the same, the congregations chose different paths.