Dr. Joseph Goldzieher has been a supporter of The Nature Conservancy for more than 20 years. He and his wife, Trinie, have participated in numerous Conservancy field trips and events. Dr. Goldzieher is also a photographer and donates images of his adventures with the Conservancy. When asked what motivates him to support the Conservancy, here is what he told us

Why I Contribute to The Nature Conservancy

By
Joseph W. Goldzieher, M.D.
Legacy Club Member

Decades ago, in some magazine or other, I came across the name of The Nature Conservancy. "Hmmm," I thought, "that's an odd name. Probably a group of stuffy British squires in plus-fours and maybe a Harry Lauder cane or two, bestowing a new branch of their ancient nature club on the Western Colonies to show them how things are done properly." But I sent a check anyway, and shortly received information that was a dramatic surprise. I found an absence of confrontation; I found concordance. I found vision wide and deep. I found ingenuity, creativity, and originality. I learned that in Austin, sets of people who had been at each other's throats for years were sitting down together at the behest of The Nature Conservancy, and coming up with solutions that earned national praise. The International branch was turning slash-and-burn into ecotourism, and giving kids a chance to protect their own acre of rainforest, creating a new generation of environmentalists. This is pure genius.

We learned that there was an estate on Matagorda Island that had become part of The Nature Conservancy, we could visit there, and "the staff would love to show you around." That turned out to be the understatement of the year. Eventually the weather obliged, and we were housed in splendor, fed like epicures, and introduced to an extraordinary area by wonderful, knowledgeable staff. We were not birders in any sense, but toward the end of that weekend my wife, who had been then appropriated my personal binoculars, had been shown over 50 species of birds, and as the sun was setting, was heard to mutter, "Now that bird has black, not red, feet, so it must be a…." Wonders never cease.

One time we went to Dolan Falls with some of the staff. The wildflowers were out, and there were fields of lemon yellow and lavender flowers. Prickly pear were in full bloom. When we arrived at the preserve, the staff showed us around in the most wonderful and knowledgeable way. Eventually we came to our lodging, a screened cabin in a wooded area, with a couple of cots and a few shelves. I opened my bedroll on the cot, sat down and looked around. It was very quiet. A wren was building a nest in the eaves... it just doesn't get any better than that.

As we oldsters begin to look at the inevitable end of our stay on this earth, most of us will ask, how can we give something back in return for all the things we have been privileged to experience? Trinie and I are happy that we have found a way.