Hosted by MACC's Young Professionals Committee (Mass. Assoc. of Conservation Commissions), MLTC's ECCNers (Early Career Conservation Network: people in their first 10 years of their career) have been invited to this event to network with other early-career professionals in the conservation and environmental fields. Free, no age limit. Come broaden your network and learn what colleagues in Conservation Commissions, consultancies, and other environmental organizations are up to!
Hybrid. In-person at Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary in Concord, and via Zoom.
Parking is limited to 45 cars. Carpooling is highly encouraged. Directions in description below.
Land trust staff and board members as well as conservation partners are welcome to this quarterly meeting, featuring relevant news from state agencies, a timely update on state and federal policy matters, and announcements. June's featured topic will be "What conservationists need to know about pending state regulations for energy facility siting and permitting", presented by...
Open to anyone with responsibilities of running or working in a small-staffed land trust, this quarter's topic will focus on record keeping policy, procedures & best practices, and may include other interests, like cyber security insurance. Part of MLTC's Stronger Together networking series, this call will not be recorded. Newcomers welcome!
After a picnic lunch at the 300 Committee's new headquarters in Falmouth, we'll head to the Coonamessett Greenway Heritage Trail, which loops around a restored cranberry bog - now a wetland habitat - where Betsy Gladfelter, a member of Falmouth’s Conservation Commission, will tell us how the restoration project developed. We'll then make a trip to Woodneck Beach for beach activities, and to learn about the 300 Committee's erosion control efforts from Will Poirier, Director of Stewardship. Both the 300 Committee office and the trails at the Lower Coonamessett Restoration area are accessible for all. Limited to 20 people. Registration is required so we can order lunch in advance.
Mt. Auburn Cemetery
580 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA (meeting point listed on the registration page)
Join ECCN and former Mount Auburn Cemetery President/Director of Horticulture Dave Barnett for a walking tour of the cemetery. The walk will last 1-1.5 hours and will follow paved roads with moderate hills--participants should be comfortable walking 2-3 miles. The tour will cover some of the history of the cemetery and its horticultural management practices. Come learn how the team at Mount Auburn balances aesthetic value and ecologically-minded property stewardship.
This tour will visit the Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (PFWS) in Lowell, MA. PFWS is a collaboration between Lowell Parks & Conservation, Mass Audubon, and Mill City Grows. Participants will get to walk the 22-acre former Christmas tree farm and see the implementation of community-based visioning and planning, including recently completed All Persons Trail and an outdoor classroom under construction.
Led Vidya Tikku, Trustees VP, Boston and Jordan Takvorian, Trustees Boston Stewardship Manager, participants will tour a variety of unique growing spaces across historic Boston. The day will start at Trustees' native plant nursery that grows 200+ species of native eastern United States flora in the heart of Mattapan Square, and will include a visit to partner organization Urban Farming Institute's (URI) Fowler Clark Epstein Farm, which showcases how UFI promotes and develops urban farming as a way to build community. Next up will be visits to two Trustees' community gardens in two different neighborhoods -- Nightingale and Beverly--, where growing methods and crops reflect the diversity of cultures in Boston. Throughout the tour, attendees will learn about TTOR's partnership with the City of Boston, and strategies used to permanently protect the city's open spaces.
Dartmouth Natural Resources' Trust Smith Farm
off Smith Neck Road, Dartmouth, MA
Join ECCN for a fall migration bird walk led by Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust’s Land Manager, Linda Vanderveer, at DNRT’S Smith Farm. The 140-acre Reserve contains a variety of habitats found in Dartmouth – agricultural farmland, meadows, upland forest, freshwater wetland, wetland forest, ponds, streams and salt marsh – and presents the opportunity to observe a variety of birds. Please bring your own binoculars. Afterwards, join us for a bite to eat in the nearby village of Padanaram.
Hybrid. In-person at MassWildlife
1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough MA, and via Zoom. Only register to attend on Zoom.
Land trust staff and board members as well as conservation partners are welcome to this quarterly meeting, featuring relevant news from state agencies, a timely update on state and federal policy matters, announcements, and a featured topic. These meetings are convened by MLTC's Partner Engagement Committee: Kathy Orlando, Chair, Olivia Lukacic, Vice-Chair. A detailed agenda will be sent in advance to all registrants.
Abby Hardy-Moss (Vice President of Stewardship, Planning, and Technology) and Becca Smalley (GIS Specialist) from the Essex County Greenbelt Association will help us learn about various data layers that can be used to help identify parcels of interest and gain a better understanding of their conservation values. An overview of Greenbelt’s Conservation Prioritization GIS analysis project will be provided including a case study of how Greenbelt uses the prioritization to identify and prioritize potential land protection projects. This event is being hosted by the Early Career Conservation Network, an interest group of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition whose mission is to provide networking and training opportunities for those in their first 10 years of a career in land conservation. Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation email.
Experience the freshly ecologically restored Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich Port on the Cape during a guided walk led by Harwich Conservation Trust Board President Tom Evans. Tour the new half-mile All Persons Trail which crosses two bridges with views of Cold Brook flowing freely through the 66-acre Preserve for the first time in over a century. Learn how the recent eco-restoration project enhanced the health of the land and water for the benefit of people and wildlife. Learn more (scroll to or find "Cold Brook").
Nature-based Solutions provide many co-benefits, such as increasing carbon sequestration, biodiversity, ecosystem connectivity, soil health, air/water quality, and much more. This field trip will include a bus tour of Devens to see first-hand some of the nature-based solutions that have been implemented. Tour stops will include low-impact development (LID) stormwater systems, pocket forests, stream daylighting and restoration, and pollinator meadow installations. This tour will be useful for community and land trust representatives to learn tips for collaboration, incentives for mitigation and restoration projects, and examples of successful nature-based climate resilience projects.
