Letter from the Founder
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your interest in Shenandoah Valley Trees and the work we do. I am so happy that you are here.
Our organization’s work and mission are incredibly personal to me, and core to my being. They are also a vehicle driving my own personal journey, transforming me as a person, and expanding my own worldview.
At the most fundamental of levels, I have come to believe that access to clean air and clean water is a fundamental human right, our natural environment ought to be ubiquitous and organic throughout our communities – just as it has been for the entirety of human history prior to industrialization and urbanization, and that the world is not ours to conquer at the expense of all other sentient creatures and beings.
The disappearance of trees from our natural landscape serves as a harbinger of decline not only in natural beauty, but the habitat and ecosystems supported by their presence, as well as the quality of the human condition. We have an obligation to ourselves, our children, our communities, as well as to the entire natural world to push back on this decline. Nothing short of our survival as we currently understand it, depends on our good stewardship of the world around us.
But it took a lifetime for me to develop this understanding, my beliefs, and this conviction.
My love of the outdoors and for experiencing the natural world began as a child, with family outings to local parks. I began exploring the creeks, waterfalls, fields, and forests of northeastern Pennsylvania with my cousins, often spending entire weekends immersed in the sights and sounds of the forest. I discovered the Appalachian Trail, lost my way, but began to discover my soul.
I have had the distinct privilege of traveling the world to places both urban and remote. I have visited nearly every state in our great Union, seen the treasures that are American’s National Parks, driven through the hollers of Kentucky, slept under the stars of Big Sky Montana while shepherd dogs kept wolves at bay, explored the historic streets of the ancient capital cities of Europe, felt the dry, cold winds of highest peaks of the Himalaya, walked the streets of some of America’s poorest cities,, and biked through historically great industrial towns left abandoned after their resources had been depleted. These experiences changed me.
Most striking however was seeing how my small, rural mountain town in northeastern Pennsylvania changed over time. Progress demanded we trade our forests and farmland for strip malls, big box stores, fast food restaurants, and no fewer than a dozen gas stations. Land was thoughtlessly cleared, concrete poured, and monoculture lawn grass planted. In securing these “improvements”, we counted only what we appeared to have gained, but not what we had lost.
This pattern continued and as the area grew and became more populated, more and more trees began disappearing, never being replaced. Today, the community park where I had spent so much of my childhood consists of an unnatural manicured lawn and ballfield. Hundred-year-old Oak and Maple trees that dotted the landscape, provided shade from the sun, food and habitat for nature’s creatures, and amazing displays of fall foliage to visitors, had all been removed in a crushing blow. In the superficial name of progress.
I see the same specter of change happening within the greater Shenandoah Valley and believe that there is a better way. Our towns and communities have the opportunity to integrate new business and economic opportunities while preserving our way of life, and the history of the land and people of the Shenandoah Valley. There is a way to maintain balance, protect and preserve what we hold dear, while creating opportunities - if we are mindful, actively engaged in our community, and respectful towards nature and one another.
As a result of my travels, deep personal connection with the outdoors, the siren call transformation of my childhood hometown, and awareness of the irreversible changes being brought to bear on us by climate change, I felt the responsibility to act while there is still time. This is why I launched Shenandoah Valley Trees in 2022, with a focus on protecting and restoring the trees of the greater Shenandoah Valley.
Thank you for being a part of our movement to protect our way of life and connection to the natural world.
With the deepest of gratitude,
John Pacovich
