News

Resident donates land to town
Preserve to be named for parents
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--Miriam Bisbee of Gray has spent over 81 years living on the same parcel of land. Her parents instilled in her a love of the land and an appreciation for natural wonders large and small. She has engaged in a 20 month negotiation with the town to include in her will a donation of her 13-acre parcel on Whitney Road, where it will be forevermore preserved in its natural state.

"This may seem like a strange thing to do," Bisbee said to the Council Tuesday night, "but I grew up in a family immersed in nature. We tracked the constellations, watched the birds, viewed the meteor showers. We grew up with very little passive entertainment- not like now- and I would like to give this same opportunity for the young people in the Town of Gray."

The parcel, Bisbee hopes, will provide habitat to wild animals and plants, and offer educational opportunities if nature trails are developed. Bisbee noted that her sister's land across the street is already preserved and managed by the Small Woodlot Owners Association and that trails exist there. "It seemed like a good thing to do on my side of the yard," Bisbee said.

Town Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz said that it had been his pleasure working with Bisbee on the donation. Council Chair Pam Wilkinson also thanked Bisbee for her generosity. Bisbee asked that the preserve be named the "Eleanor and Wilbert Bisbee Memorial Forest," after her parents.