GIVING BACK: Cary Fassler
Former VA nurse enjoys work protecting the environment
By Norah Machia
Cary Fassler has spent much of his retirement enjoying the great outdoors surrounding his family home in a rural region of Oswego County.
“My wife and I had the opportunity to move back to the family property where I grew up,” said Fassler, who retired as a registered nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Syracuse. “After attending a university and having a career, the love of the land called me back.”
The couple renovated a farmhouse and built additional space on the property in Amboy where Fassler was raised. “I know it well and love every square inch,” he said. One of his daughters and her husband purchased a home nearby, so he has been introducing his grandson to the joys of nature.
“I love to be out on my property,” said Fassler, who enjoys hiking and snowshoeing. The hundreds of acres surrounding his home include forests and wetlands with a variety of wildlife.
Several years ago, Fassler decided to volunteer on the board of directors for the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving land in the Tug Hill region. Fassler had worked with the land trust to place a conservation easement on most of his property to protect it from future development.
“Placing a conservation easement on the property with the land trust helped us achieve our goal of permanently protecting our land,” he said. “As this area grows, we get satisfaction knowing that our efforts will enable future generations of both people and wildlife to enjoy this property.”
The land trust was a great fit for his volunteer work because its mission is to protect the wildlands, working forests and farms of the Tug Hill region and promote appreciation for the area’s natural and cultural heritage.
Through his volunteer work on the board, Fassler has helped introduce many people to the rural outdoors of Oswego County by guiding hikes and snowshoeing treks. “I have really enjoyed volunteering and the board’s mission of giving back to Mother Nature,” said Fassler, who recently finished his term on the land trust’s board of directors.
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