From the Sports World to Burger Hill: Finding My Place in Conservation
By Tom Purves, Senior Director of Development
On weekday mornings, you might find me running up Burger Hill at Drayton Grant Park with a group of friends and neighbors.
We call ourselves the Burger Hill Massive. What started in 2021 as a simple idea to bring people together for a run has grown into a community centered around friendship, wellness, and a shared appreciation for this remarkable place we call home.
I didn’t know it at the time, but those mornings on Burger Hill were also leading me toward the next chapter of my career.
From the Sports World to Local Impact
My appreciation for landscape and the outdoors started long before I came to the Hudson Valley. Growing up in rural England, I was surrounded by fields, woods, footpaths, and open countryside that were simply part of everyday life. Sport was another constant, from playing rugby at a youth level for Scotland (my father’s home country) to spending time in New Zealand, working on Rugby World Cup in 2011, where the connection between outdoor life, sport, and landscape left a lasting impression on me.
For more than two decades, my career spanned the sports industry, and I worked with some of the world’s most recognized brands, leagues, teams, athletes, and events. Throughout that journey, I’ve always been drawn to the ability of sport to bring people together around something bigger than themselves.
That became particularly meaningful during my eight years at Major League Soccer, where one of the most rewarding parts of my role was leading the League’s sustainability platform, Greener Goals.
At MLS, we worked with clubs, partners, fans, and communities across North America to make sustainability more tangible and accessible, from developing the League’s first sustainability measurement platform to supporting food recovery, waste diversion, and environmental initiatives.
What stayed with me most was the power of connection.
Sustainability becomes more meaningful when people can see themselves in it, when it connects to the places we live, the water we drink, the communities we belong to, and the experiences we share.
And that same lesson was playing out for me much closer to home.
The Hill That Changed My Perspective
When I founded the Burger Hill Massive, I wasn’t trying to start a conservation organization. I was simply trying to bring people together.
But something interesting happened.
Week after week, people came to run. They brought friends. Friendships formed. Families became involved. We watched the seasons change and developed a deeper appreciation for the landscape around us.
Our annual charity run now brings together more than 100 people and raises funds for Winnakee, the organization I’m now proud to be part of.
On a personal level, experiencing Burger Hill with my two children, Florence and Viggo, has been one of the real highlights of living here. Watching them explore the trails, experience the changing seasons, and develop their own connection to the outdoors has given me an even greater appreciation for why protecting places like this matters, not just for us today, but for the generations that follow.
What I’ve come to realize is that this is conservation, too.
When people join us for a run, they aren’t thinking about protected and stewarded acreage or conservation easements. They’re watching the sunrise over the Hudson Valley. They’re spending time with neighbors. Their kids are exploring. They’re building memories. And somewhere along the way, they’re developing a relationship with the land.
Before people will protect something, they first have to understand its value. And one of the most powerful ways to understand the value of a place is simply to experience it
Finding Winnakee
Living in Rhinebeck and spending so much time at Burger Hill gave me a growing appreciation for the work Winnakee does.
The landscapes we enjoy here didn’t remain open and beautiful by accident. They are the result of decades of commitment from landowners, donors, volunteers, municipalities, community partners, and the people who have dedicated themselves to Winnakee’s mission. I started volunteering on Burger Hill Work Days, joining a committed group who have cared for Burger Hill for decades.
I’ve been particularly inspired by the leadership of Sally Mazzarella and the important role she has played in shaping Winnakee and deepening its connection to the communities it serves. Her commitment, together with the work of so many others, has helped create the strong foundation Winnakee has today.
The more I understood that work, the more I saw a connection between what I had been doing professionally and what I cared about personally.
Throughout my career, I’ve spent much of my time bringing people together around a shared purpose. I’ve learned that meaningful support rarely begins with an ask. It begins with a relationship, with understanding what people care about and helping them see how they can be part of something meaningful.
That’s ultimately what brought me to Winnakee.
Bringing the Two Worlds Together
When the opportunity arose to join Winnakee as Senior Director of Development, it felt like two parts of my life were coming together.
Professionally, I had spent more than two decades building partnerships, generating philanthropic support, and turning shared values into action. Personally, I had experienced the power of conservation right here in Rhinebeck.
My role at Winnakee is development, but I think of development as much more than fundraising. It’s about building a community around a mission.
It’s helping someone understand why protecting a forest matters to their family. It’s inviting someone onto a trail they’ve never explored. It’s showing a landowner what thoughtful stewardship can accomplish. It’s helping a child discover a wetland, meadow, or forest for the first time. And it’s giving people who love the Hudson Valley an opportunity to play a role in its future.
Conservation Starts with Connection
My experience with the Burger Hill Massive has reinforced something I hope to carry into my work at Winnakee.
People connect to conservation through experiences.
Wildlife habitat, clean water, biodiversity, carbon storage, healthy forests, and acres protected all matter enormously. But ultimately, people protect the places they love.
And love of place often begins with something simple: a walk through the woods. A run with friends. A child discovering a trail. A view you’ve seen a hundred times but still stop to appreciate.
That’s why I believe one of the most important things Winnakee can do is help more people experience the lands we’re working to protect, restore and steward. Because when people feel connected to a place, they begin to see themselves as part of its story.
My journey to Winnakee didn’t begin with a career plan.
In many ways, it began with a pair of running shoes, a group of neighbors, and a hill in Rhinebeck.
And I couldn’t be more excited about where that path has led and where it will take me next.
JOIN TOM AND BURGER HILL MASSIVE ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25
FOR A CHARITY RUN IN SUPPORT OF WINNAKEE!
