Kies Family Leaves Legacy of Conservation

$1.5 million bequest protects PA’s natural treasures

FRENCH CREEK, PA — February 26, 2007 — It’s not uncommon for Pennsylvanians to have fond memories of nature or of their childhood explorations, but spending millions of dollars to make sure others can have those same memories is extraordinary.

Bonnie and Joe Kies made just such an amazing gift. They left a $1.5 million legacy to the Nature Conservancy to protect lands and waters in Pennsylvania and other natural areas that support countless birds and animals and will create new memories for generations to come.

Mussel inventory at Clinch River, Virginia © Jon Golden

A native Pennsylvanian herself, Bonnie Kies experienced nature up close until her death in 2006. Her favorite adventures involved observing migratory water birds as they flew from the Commonwealth over the Kies home in Maryland and onto other southern destinations.

Each spring, Bonnie and husband Joe, who died in 2006 and 1996 respectively, watched thousands of migratory water birds make their way south on the Atlantic Flyway. Along the way, these waterfowl found safe havens to rest and feed near lakes, along rivers and shorelines, and in fields and forests that dot the Eastern seaboard. And each spring many of these avian visitors stopped over at the pond near the Kies home in Potomac, MD.

It was this spring tradition, shared by husband and wife, that inspired them to create a legacy with the Nature Conservancy that protect nature and ensure that other families can observe the natural beauty of Pennsylvania.

“Joe and Bonnie had a sincere appreciation of the natural world, and they had a sincere desire to share that appreciation with others,” said Bill Kunze, state director for the Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. “Today, their legacy remains through the Bonnie and Joe Kies Land Acquisition Fund. This generous gift protects the geese, ducks, swans and other waterfowl they loved so much as well as the lands and waters these birds and other threatened wildlife need to thrive both here in Pennsylvania and in other natural areas.”

Born and raised in Bucks County, Bonnie and her husband resettled in Potomac, MD, where they could continue to enjoy annual migrations and grow their business. They began investing in commercial real estate in the D.C. area, and the business thrived. The success of their business prompted the young couple to find a balance between conservation and development that benefited human needs and preserved the natural areas they loved so strongly.

“Bonnie just loved the birds that came through, the swans, ducks, geese any waterfowl,” says Bob Marsteller, a long time friend and business partner of the Kies family. “She was really involved with the migratory birds and couldn’t get enough of them. She wanted to help them in any way she could.”

“They thought that not everything should be developed,” explains Bob. “They were blessed with the ability to make a significant contribution to conservation. Bonnie really wanted to recognize and offset the impacts of development and give back. We considered The Nature Conservancy because of their methods of balancing human needs with those of nature. They also appreciated the Conservancy’s overall philosophy and mission statement. The idea to purchase a piece of land and set it aside for future generations was very appealing to Bonnie.”

Bob, a longtime supporter of The Nature Conservancy encouraged the Kies’s to support an organization he was familiar with and trusted. In particular, they were drawn to the Conservancy’s science-based conservation and recognition of ecologically important landscapes. The Kies’s decided to protect natural areas in Pennsylvania, specifically at places like French Creek, an important flyway for migratory birds and one of the most pristine watersheds in the eastern United States, as well as Maryland’s Nassawango Swamp, a haven for migratory waterfowl.

“We picked Pennsylvania, because that’s where Bonnie was from originally. Maryland was a natural choice since that’s where she now called home,” says Bob.

Bonnie and Joe were especially exited about helping to support The Nature Conservancy’s work in French Creek. In particular, they were impressed by the health of the watershed with its rich wealth of aquatic life including rare mussels and fish.

“French Creek was very appealing to them,” says Bob. “It was new territory and a chance to be a part of something new, a real pioneer effort, if you will. They were proud to help this contribute to this new area.”

The $1.5 million Bonnie and Joe Kies Land Acquisition Fund, one third of which is restricted to the French Creek watershed, has already preserved 1,800 foot riparian corridor along French Creek river near Meadville in Crawford County. The Kies Fund also provides funding for conservation throughout Pennsylvania through a one-to-one match for public or private funds, substantially increasing the fund’s overall conservation value.

“The Kies gift has been a significant contribution to how we preserve Penn’s Woods,” said Kunze. “They were generous supporters of conservation during their lifetimes and by setting up a charitable remainder trust their estate will continue to help us preserve the diversity of life in Pennsylvania by protecting the lands and waters that animals, plants and people need to survive.”

For more information on The Nature Conservancy and its work in Pennsylvania, visit nature.org/Pennsylvania. To contribute to conservation projects or other Conservancy initiatives within Pennsylvania, call (800) 756-2887.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.