Welcome!

Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by!

We are Forever Rural, a group of concerned Hilltowners working to protect and preserve the place we love. As the talk off the Hill continues to buzz with phrases like "Tech Valley", we believe developers' eyes will be increasingly drawn to our open spaces. Where we see sleepy little valleys and hills, deep green forests and chattering streams, they see dollar signs. Now I'm not one to tell another how to spend his money, or how to use her land, but at the same time I believe that we all have a responsibility to one another as neighbors and a responsibility to the land as stewards. If there was ever a time for shortsightedness, that time has passed.

We've all heard a lot of talk about global warming and everything that's supposed to go along with it. Well I'm not sure how I feel about all that, but I do know how I feel when I find myself driving through Clifton Park or Colonie or any of the other places around here where developers have been given the blank check to do whatever they like with the land, and I know I never want to feel that way here in the Helderbergs. We have a special place up here: every inch of this land is soaked in history and every mile has another sacred valley, cliff, or crystal stream. Pure air, fresh water, lush forests full of game... it's our right and our duty to protect it, to make sure it grows right.

Feel free to have a look around the site- we're under construction right now, but expect great things in the near future- sign the mailing list if you like, and we'll keep you posted as events arise. We've got a lot of ideas and we'd love to hear yours; drop us an e-mail any time and let us know how you feel. Thanks again for stopping in, and God bless you.

-Charlie Burgess, Co-Founder, Forever Rural