Calendar

What does it take to bring a tiny, specialized creature back from the brink of extinction? Spend your lunch hour with Ian Ives of Mass Audubon’s Spadefoot Toad Conservation Project to find out. Since 2011, Mass Audubon has established a translocated population of spadefoots at newly created vernal pools at Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary in East Falmouth. This project is a first for this state-threatened species.

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.

Join ECCN and Ian Ives and Jay Cordeiro of Mass Audubon’s Spadefoot Toad Conservation Project for an evening of amphibious adventure at Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary in East Falmouth! Since 2011, Mass Audubon and its partners have translocated thousands of young spadefoot toads to restored breeding pools at Ashumet Holly from a healthy population in Barnstable. Come watch and listen for these warty wonders and get your questions answered.

Optional: Arrive at 6:30 pm with your own dinner. We'll be eating at the site about 20–30 minutes before the tour begins.

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").

Finance staff, board treasurers, and others with fiscal responsibilities -- join us for a networking call to share resources, ask questions, and learn from each other. This month's call will focus on tracking grants, including systems used, managing restrictions, and best practices for reporting and compliance. Time permitting, participants may be able to raise questions on other issues too. Part of MLTC's Stronger Together networking program. Free, but advance registration required.

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.

This year will focus on discussions of key topics, and how land trusts and State agencies can work together to accomplish these goals. Topics will include: shifting allocations among DCS grant programs; the State’s comprehensive land use plan; communicating/Framing our messages on policy Issues; what's next with RLI; and farmland protection tools.

Hosted by Irene Del Bono - title research guru and retired attorney with extensive background in property law in both private practice and at the EEA - this seminar will be a comprehensive guide to help you find deeds that are hard to find; what to do when there are references to things potentially affecting the title; and what it will take to "fix" title issues. This is not a class on title examinations - which should be done by an attorney. This class should help you find an attorney versed in problems that might be attached to a property.

Join the Early Conservation Career Network for a casual hike among the beautiful fall colors that bring thousands of tourists to the Berkshires every year. We'll start by meeting in downtown Lee and eating our meals (sandwiches or salads from Loeb's Foodtown) at the nearby park. Then, we'll head to Basin Pond Reserve, owned by Berkshire Natural Resources Council, for a hike around its 2.5-mile loop trail through boulder fields and under beautiful mixed forest canopy. A viewing platform offers a scenic vista of the pond, beaver lodges and dams, and a historic (human-made) dam.

Open to anyone with responsibilities of running or working in a small-staffed land trust, this quarter's topic will focus on organizing and working with board subcommittees that blend trustee and non-trustee participants. Part of MLTC's Stronger Together networking series, this call will not be recorded. Newcomers welcome!

This month's focus topic is "Partnering with your town's organizations". It's a broad topic, and attendees' questions and experiences will mold the discussion. This call is a forum for AVLTs to learn from each other and tackle their unique challenges. Part of MLTC's Stronger Together networking program. This call will not be recorded.

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 (TBD). A detailed agenda will be sent in advance to all registrants.

This four-part series, co-hosted with the Land Trust Alliance, will explore key aspects of stewardship. The course will cover both stewardship of fee lands and conservation restrictions, highlight best practices, and provide a collaborative space to discuss common challenges. 

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. The meeting will not be recorded.

Learn, connect, and be inspired by the workshops, people you meet, and the keynote address. With workshops covering a diverse range of land conservation topics, it's a great opportunity for participants from all levels of experience, from students to seasoned professionals, to learn together and find ways to move conservation forward in the state. Details are in the works.

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 (TBD). A detailed agenda will be sent in advance to all registrants.