When the Board of Directors of the GLT accepted the 210-acre Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve, given to the GLT by Jamie Gamble, in North Granby, they knew it would require a good deal of maintenance and loving care and there needed to be someone available to take care of issues as they arose. Luckily, they knew just the people for the job—Bob and Karen Saunders. Karen’s father, Olof Stevenson, was the caretaker for the property when it was owned by the Creamer family. Before that, Karen’s grandfather, Hilding Stevenson, built the cabin that is on the property.
Karen and Bob have spent much of their lives on this property and know more about it than perhaps anyone else. As Dave Emery said in presenting the award, “If you’ve ever walked on the Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve and noticed that downed trees are removed quickly, that the trails are clear, that the water in the pond stays at a steady level no matter how the beavers try to flood it, then you’ve seen the quiet work of Bob and Karen Saunders.”