Birds, Blossoms And Benevolence For Pleasant Valley's 90th
The wildlife sanctuary commemorated its founding 90 years ago by the Lenox Garden Club.
Becky Cushing, BWS sanctuary director, Stephanie Bergman, BWS development manager, Lenox Garden Club President Hilary Somers Deely and Phil Deely
In 1929, the Lenox Garden Club purchased two farms, encompassing 300 acres in total, and created Pleasant Valley Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary. After years of collaboration, Pleasant Valley was gifted to Mass Audubon in 1950. Since then, the sanctuary has added 1,000 additional acres and Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries (BWS) has added five more sanctuaries to become the local leader in nature education at its sites, as well as in schools, community centers, parks and libraries. To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Pleasant Valley has been hosting special events throughout 2019, including art shows and concerts by local musicians. This past Sunday, Sept. 22, the site held a Birds, Blossoms and Brunch fundraiser to honor its founders, the Lenox Garden Club, and to kickstart the Club’s education endowment fund, which will enable BWS to continue and expand its mission. Guests enjoyed cocktails on the lawn and brunch by Kate Baldwin in one of the site’s original c.1790 barns, and gave generously at a paddle raise led by Mass. State Representative Smitty Pignatelli. Afterwards, guests were invited to stay to meet four wildlife ambassadors (live animals) and to stroll the sanctuary trails.
![Jen Leahey from Nature Matters introduced the crowd to a screech owl [shown here] as well as a barred owl, a red-tailed hawk and a skunk named Kenny.](https://www.ruralintelligence.com/content/images/2025/11/pvbrunch_screech_owl-1.jpg "Jen Leahey from Nature Matters introduced the crowd to a screech owl [shown here] as well as a barred owl, a red-tailed hawk and a skunk named Kenny.")
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
