Wildlands Attends Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference

STC House Managers Paul Gallerani and Judy Savage share information about the Stewardship Training Center with attendees of the 2025 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference.

By Wildlands staff

At Wildlands, we’re always looking for ways to improve and expand our work in Southeastern Massachusetts. Sometimes, that search leads us far beyond our region’s borders. Invariably, we come home with new insights, skills, and relationships to share with the communities we serve. 

On March 21, a record 15 (!) Wildlands staff members and volunteers traveled to Amherst for the 2025 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, hosted by the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC). Wildlands Trust is a strong supporter of MLTC’s mission “to advance land conservation across Massachusetts by providing education, tools, networking and advocacy for land trusts and their partners.” In addition to sponsoring the annual conference, Wildlands shares Chief of Staff Rachel Bruce with the MLTC Board of Trustees. 

“The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition provides the platform for land conservation professionals to stay connected to one another and to present a unified voice,” Wildlands President Karen Grey said. Grey served on the MLTC board for 14 years. “Wildlands Trust is a stronger organization because of the resources we access through our active participation in MLTC.” 

Wildlands President Karen Grey spoke about our Brockton Kids Lead the Way Initiative with Manomet Conservation Sciences during her presentation about our Community Stewardship Program.

Beyond our attendance numbers, Wildlands was well-represented at the conference, presenting workshops, organizing networking events, and tabling with information about the Stewardship Training Center. Four Wildlands-hosted workshops shared our successes and lessons learned with the state land conservation community. Karen Grey presented with Jen Plowden of the Land Trust Alliance about “A Blueprint for Better Boards: Three Strategies for Board Recruitment.” Land use attorney and Dennis Murphy presented on Wildlands' complex project to save Picone Farm in Middleborough. Rachel Bruce and Programming Coordinator Amy Burt presented “Beyond DEI Statements: A Case Study for Delivering a Land Trust Mission in a Gateway City,” recounting our ongoing environmental justice work in Brockton. To end the day, Karen Grey presented once again, this time with Barnstable Land Trust’s Janet Milkman about our Community Stewardship Program. 

The MLTC conference offers land conservation professionals a rare opportunity to bond over their shared missions and values. Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti serves on the Organizing Committee of the Early Conservation Career Network (ECCN), an interest group of the MLTC that “provides networking and training opportunities for those in their first 10 years of a career in land conservation.” ECCN gathers the night before the conference every year to build camaraderie and community. This year, the event saw over 30 early-career conservationists, including eight from Wildlands, learn about spotted salamanders at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment before heading to Tree House Brewing Company for pizza and drinks. 

Rachel Bruce presents at the pre-conference ECCN gathering.

ECCN listens for frogs at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.

ECCN learns about spotted salamanders at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.

Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski also led a stewardship networking lunch during the conference, giving land stewards across the state a chance to come together and “talk shop.”  

Below, hear from Wildlands staff and volunteers about their experiences at this year’s Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference. 

Rachel Bruce, Chief of Staff & MLTC Trustee 

“The conference is a great opportunity for Wildlands both to showcase our work to our colleagues, as demonstrated at our multiple presentations and our outreach table, and to learn from the incredible work taking place at nonprofits and state agencies across the state. Networking with land professionals from many walks opens up doors for creative problem solving, big-picture thinking, and meaningful collaboration that advances our collective mission to protect and steward Massachusetts' natural landscapes.” 

Amy Burt, Programming Coordinator 

"The ECCN meeting was a timely reminder of the importance of new generations' commitment to the conservation field. I am inspired to look towards the future with such enthusiastic individuals." 

Rob Kluin, Donor Relations Manager 

“Overall, the Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference was very beneficial for me. Beyond the knowledge and great insights that I gained from a variety of informative workshops, the conference offered many opportunities for making conversations and meaningful connections. I was impressed by the mission-driven organizations and passionate people at this conference and came away feeling inspired and even more grateful for the work of Wildlands Trust.” 

U.S. Representative Jim McGovern delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference.

Zoë Smiarowski, Stewardship Programs Manager 

“At my first MLTC conference in 2023, I spent a lot of time at the Stewardship Training Center table, talking with folks. This time around, I had the opportunity to attend more sessions. I really enjoyed not only the speakers but also listening to questions and comments for the speakers from audience members. It's inspiring to see the ways our land trust community shows up for each other and engages in reciprocal learning.” 

Rebecca Cushing, Land Steward 

“The ECCN 'Big Night' talk and social gathering was definitely a highlight for me. I loved connecting with a diverse group of people brought together by their passion for conservation and hear about what they're doing in the early stages of their careers in the field. I also really enjoyed the presentation on managing invasive plants at the conference. The presenters shared their unique experiences in great detail and offered strategies that could be applied across different organizations with different resources and goals.” 

Sam Butcher, D.W. Field Park Initiative Project Facilitator 

“As a member of a challenged land trust board, I found Karen Grey and Jen Plowden’s talk on how to build a successful board extremely insightful and helpful. The interactive role-play format highlighted board challenges and brought audience members into the presentation, further broadening the perspective and enhancing the value of the presentation.” 

Paul Gallerani, Assistant STC House Manager 

“It was so nice to be surrounded by hundreds of people that care about the environment.  Such a new thing for me. It charged my nature battery!” 

Twilight Trailmasters Connects Volunteers to Towns in Need

Wildlands staff and volunteers at Bay Farm Conservation Area in Kingston for a Twilight Trailmasters project.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Amid important movements to protect greater percentages of land at the state, federal, and global scales, one truth cannot be overlooked: local nature needs local help. This summer, Wildlands Trust is helping connect conservation lands with some of the only people who can sustain them—generous neighbors. 

Massachusetts is a national leader in land protection, with over 1.3 million acres off limits to development. That’s about 27 percent of the state’s area, and almost twice the land mass of Rhode Island. 

But protection is only a part of the land conservation equation. To realize our vision of clean air and water, healthy soils and forests, diverse wildlife, and vibrant outdoor recreation, protected areas must also be monitored, managed, and maintained by watchful eyes and helping hands. 

As it stands, more land in the state is protected than can be cared for by the people, organizations, and agencies that own it. Wildlands established the Stewardship Training Center in 2022 to help fill that gap. Piloted this year, our Tiered Volunteer Training Series targets those who will have to be a key part of the solution: neighbors who care. 

Volunteers built 200 feet of bog boards at Bay Farm Conservation Area in Kingston. Photo by Janine Anderson.

“Many local residents are eager to give back to the nature around them,” said Erik Boyer, Wildlands’ Director of Stewardship. “At the same time, towns and cities need help to maintain their conservation lands. Given municipal staffing constraints, connecting volunteers with their local conservation departments is harder than it seems, but it is a crucial task that Wildlands is well-positioned to take on.” 

Enter Twilight Trailmasters, a summer volunteer series that serves two primary purposes: giving Tier 1 participants hands-on experience in the stewardship skills they learned this winter and spring, and fostering relationships between willing volunteers and conservation authorities in their towns. Over five evenings this summer, volunteers are completing stewardship projects in Kingston, Plymouth, Hanover, Marshfield, and Rockland. 

On June 24, our first Twilight Trailmasters project gathered six volunteers at Bay Farm Conservation Area, managed jointly by the Towns of Kingston and Duxbury. They built 200 feet of bog boards on portions of the Kingston trail system that overlap with the Bay Circuit Trail. The wood was generously donated by Buz Artiano of BuildX, a Hanover-based building firm. 

“It’s fitting that this volunteer series began in such a culturally and ecologically significant place,” said Wildlands President Karen Grey. The Bay Farm field was cleared in 1627, making it one of the oldest in the country. “There are many properties in our region like this, that we don’t own, but need our help. Our commitment to land stewardship goes well beyond our own lands.” 

Bay Farm Conservation Area in Kingston and Duxbury. Photo by Janine Anderson.

Last summer, Wildlands hosted a focus group of towns and cities in our region to determine how the Stewardship Training Center can best prepare volunteers to contribute to municipal conservation efforts. In addition to specific skills that were taught through the Tier 1 training, such as first aid and trail maintenance, municipalities voiced a need for volunteer leadership—that is, volunteers to manage other volunteers.  

“Identifying and developing those leaders who can rally their communities around the importance of local land conservation goes a long way toward creating sustainable volunteer bases in the towns and cities we serve,” said Erik Boyer. “We are excited to continue this effort this summer and beyond.” 

For more information about Twilight Trailmasters and other upcoming volunteer opportunities, join our volunteer email list at wildlandstrust.org/volunteer. 

Wildlands Pilots Volunteer Training Series

Programs at the Stewardship Training Center will prepare entry-level volunteers to contribute to local conservation.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Volunteers donate their time, energy, knowledge, and skills to conservation initiatives across the state. Investing in their generosity is one of the most efficient and effective ways to invest in our natural and scenic lands. Who will lend these helping hands a helping hand? 

Wildlands Trust’s Stewardship Training Center aims to do just that—equip volunteers with the confidence and know-how they need to care for the conservation lands they cherish, and then connect them with opportunities to put those skills to work. 

Last July, Wildlands convened a focus group of 12 municipal conservation professionals to assess training needs for local volunteers. The consensus was clear: volunteers bring a wide range of skill sets to land stewardship projects. Developing a standardized training program would not only build cities and towns’ stewardship capacity, but also help them evaluate that capacity and plan projects accordingly.  

“Over a quarter of Massachusetts is protected conservation land, and we need to grow our capacity to care for it,” said Wildlands President Karen Grey. “A corps of committed volunteers can play a significant role, which is why we’re offering programming at the Stewardship Training Center to create a critical mass of trained volunteers to help municipalities and land trusts steward their properties.” 

Enter Wildlands’ Tier 1 Volunteer Training Series, a pilot program this winter and spring at the Stewardship Training Center. After completing four two-hour modules, volunteers will return to the trails with proficiency in core stewardship areas: 

• Feb. 24: Basic First Aid & CPR 

• Mar. 7: Public Advocacy & Challenges 

• Apr. 18: Hand Tool Use & Maintenance 

• May 9: Trail Monitoring & Maintenance 

Except for Basic First Aid & CPR, these programs are free to all current and prospective volunteers. No experience is required. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to attend all four modules and receive Tier 1 certification, detailing the skills they learned from experienced Wildlands staff and partners. Wildlands will offer these modules again in the future. 

"There is a significant community of enthusiastic volunteers just waiting for us to bring them in on advancing local and regional land conservation,” said Wildlands volunteer Rob MacDonald, who played a key role in the conception of these programs. “The Tier 1 Training Series will help connect this base to towns, cities, and nonprofits that need their help.” 

All current and interested land stewardship volunteers are welcome. In addition to skill-building, these sessions will offer an avenue for physical activity, scaled to individual ability. They will also introduce trainees to a tight-knit community of like-minded peers and to new ways to get involved with local conservation efforts. 

To learn more about the Tier 1 Volunteer Training Series and other opportunities at the Stewardship Training Center, visit wildlandstrust.org/training or contact Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski at trainingcenter@wildlandstrust.org. 

STC Progress Report

Leadership Council tour of the Stewardship Training Center in June 2023.

In its first year in operation, the Stewardship Training Center (STC) hit the ground running, offering pilot programs to diverse partners and developing creative and collaborative uses for its 12,000-square-foot building and 450-acre woodland campus on the shores of Halfway Pond.  

Wildlands Trust established the STC in 2022 to equip municipal and nonprofit partners with the stewardship capacity they need to maintain ever-expanding conservation lands across our region and state. 

From March to December 2023, 266 people engaged with the STC via programs, trainings, conferences, and residence. Training courses were presented by 17 different instructors and attended by staff of 16 organizations and eight municipalities. Nine organizations, in addition to Wildlands, used the facilities for their own training, research, and housing needs.  

Read on to learn more about the wide reach and varied programs at the STC this year. And stay tuned as the STC presses on into its second year!

By the Numbers

Since March, 28 organizations and municipalities have attended or led programs at the STC. These partners include Buzzards Bay Coalition, Manomet, Wareham Land Trust, New England Forestry Foundation, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Orleans Conservation Trust, North County Land Trust, Rochester Land Trust, Mattapoisett Land Trust, Barnstable Land Trust, Friends of Conte, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Mass Audubon, Brewster Conservation Trust, Sierra Club, Mass Land Trust Coalition, Essex County Greenbelt, Sudbury Valley Trustees, South Shore YMCA, and the Towns of Duxbury, Marshfield, Kingston, Hanover, Halifax, Hanson, Plymouth, and Rockland , in addition to Wildlands.

Over the same time period, 266 people interacted with the STC through training programs, volunteer events, organizational conferences, and temporary residence supporting local conservation activities.

By the Dates

March 4-5: Basic Chainsaw Training and Safety for Land Stewards  

Bill Girard of Girard Custom Cut Hardwood (a Game of Logging training organization) instructed seven conservation professionals in basic chainsaw safety, use, and equipment maintenance. Read more here. 

June 26-27: Seasonal Land Steward Training 

Twelve seasonal land stewards from across the state converged on the STC to gain invaluable conservation skills and expand their professional network. Read more here. 

July 12: Municipal Volunteer Training – Focus Group 

Wildlands hosted a focus group of 12 municipal conservation professionals to assess training needs for local volunteers. The group will develop a tiered volunteer training program to increase stewardship capacity on municipal lands, to be piloted in 2024. 

July 15: Adopt-a-Preserve Trainer Training 

Five seasoned Wildlands Trust volunteers were trained to train the next wave of Adopt-a-Preserve participants. 

July 27: Summer of Service – Carpentry 

Through our Summer of Service program, 14 high school students from across the region learned to build bog boards, which were later installed at North Fork Preserve. 

July 29: First Aid for Conservation Volunteers 

Chris Crowther of Certified Rescue Courses taught eight volunteers how to treat basic medical incidents in the field. 

August 14-18: Sierra Club Service Trip

Twenty Sierra Club members from across the continent completed a service trip at the STC and Shifting Lots Preserve. 

September 10-11: Wilderness First Aid 

Hal Beck of SOLO Wilderness Medical School trained nine attendees how to respond to medical emergencies on trails.  

November 1: Greater Boston Regional Land Trusts Meeting 

Essex County Greenbelt and Sudbury Valley Trustees joined Wildlands at the STC to share success stories and lessons learned. 

November 3-4: MLTC Early Career Conservation Network 

Eight early-career conservationists met at the STC to bond, network, and explore Halfway Pond Conservation Area together. 

November 11-12: Felling and Storm Damage Chainsaw Training 

Bill Girard of Game of Logging instructed 10 land stewards in proper tree felling and storm damage clean-up techniques. 

---

To learn more about the Stewardship Training Center, visit wildlandstrust.org/training or contact Stewardship Operations Manager Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org.

Seasonal Land Stewards Hone Skills at STC

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

Late last month, our burgeoning Stewardship Training Center (STC) reached a major milestone in its mission to build land stewardship capacity across the state. 

On June 26 and 27, Wildlands Trust hosted its first Seasonal Land Steward Training at the STC. Ten trainees, each holding a land stewardship role this summer with a city, town, or environmental nonprofit, converged on the STC from across Massachusetts to gain invaluable conservation skills and expand their professional network. The program, reviewed positively by participants, marks the first in hopefully a long line of initiatives at the STC to support the sustained care of conservation lands, especially during peak periods of human use. 

“I am extremely excited to have had the opportunity to bring this group of seasonals together,” said Wildlands Stewardship Coordinator Zoë Smiarowski. “I think all of the participants worked extremely well collaboratively and learned from each other and the instructors in the most positive way.” 

The training began bright and early on Monday morning with a group hike and trail maintenance workshop at our Halfway Pond Conservation Area, the setting of the STC. Leading the workshop were Mary Doucette of the Buzzards Bay Coalition and Colleen Andrews of Mattapoisett Land Trust. Around midday, Mary and Colleen were joined by Zoë to teach trainees how to care for stewardship tools. After lunch, trainees honed their invasive plant identification and removal skills through a presentation and hike led by Kelly Barber of Barnstable Land Trust.  

Kelly Barber of Barnstable Land Trust leads an invasive plant identification walk.

On Tuesday, Chris Crowther of Certified Rescue Courses trained program participants in first aid and CPR. Trainees then learned to build wooden benches during a carpentry workshop led by Wildlands staff. Finally, Nate Cristofori and Michael Cahill of the Plymouth Department of Marine and Environmental Affairs presented to the group about interacting with the public on conservation land.  

“I look forward to continued and new collaborations with the wide range of talented conservation professionals and volunteers in the region,” Zoë said about the STC. “I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the community here in Southeastern Massachusetts and I'm excited to see all the creative projects that come together for the betterment of our lands and waters.” 

Thank you to all who attended our program, and to the guest instructors for providing their passion and expertise! Wildlands Trust looks forward to working with these and new partners as the STC marches forward in its first full year of operation.  

To learn more about the STC and browse upcoming events, visit our Training page. 

Click through the gallery below to view more photos from the 2023 Seasonal Land Steward Training. 

Kelly Barber of Barnstable Land Trust leads an invasive plant identification walk.

Kelly Barber of Barnstable Land Trust leads an invasive plant identification walk.

Kelly Barber of Barnstable Land Trust leads an invasive plant identification walk.

Kelly Barber of Barnstable Land Trust presents on invasive plant identification and removal.

Colleen Andrews of Mattapoisett Land Trust and Mary Doucette of the Buzzards Bay Coalition demonstrate trail and tool maintenance.

Trainees practice trail maintenance.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.

Carpentry workshop at the STC.