Early Conservation Career Network

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.

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.