What’s New at Wildlands
Members Meeting Informs & Connects Wildlands Community
By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator
Members are the foundation of the Wildlands community. Not only do they provide us with the steady financial support we need, but they also serve as advocates for environmental protection in their own neighborhoods. The larger and stronger our membership base, the more effectively we can advance our mission.
Strong communities are informed and connected. On April 6, Wildlands Trust hosted a Members Meeting at our Plymouth headquarters to offer our supporters a glimpse into the varied work we do every day to protect land for everyone, forever.
“Community and pride—these are my takeaways from our Members Meeting,” said Membership Manager Kyla Isakson. “Gathering our supporters not only showed them what their generosity does for land conservation, but it also provided a space to mingle with friends old and new who share the same passion for the environment. I’m proud to be a part of the Wildlands community, both as a staff member and a resident of the region.”
In the Community Conservation Barn at Davis-Douglas Farm, several staff members presented a summary of the Wildlands Trust 2025 Community Impact Report, which can be found here.
To start, Wildlands President Karen Grey discussed the diversity of Southeastern Massachusetts—and therefore the diversity of ways Wildlands carries out its mission. She noted that this was Wildlands’ first members meeting in nearly 20 years, since members voted on all organizational decisions. We have since changed our governance structure to promote programmatic and financial stability, but we continue to include our members in meaningful ways.
Wildlands President Karen Grey polls the audience at the Members Meeting.
Up next was Land Protection Director Scott MacFaden, who shared updates about the lands that Wildlands is working to protect. In 2025, Wildlands protected 383 acres of valuable open space, including Conservation Restrictions (CRs) in two new towns (Scituate and Cohasset) and on nearly 150 acres of farmland.
Then came Stewardship Manager Owen Grey, who summarized Wildlands’ recent efforts to maintain and restore conservation lands across the region. Highlights include improvements to ecological health and public access at Willow Brook Farm in Pembroke and an accessible river overlook platform at Striar Snake River Preserve in Taunton.
Next, Programming Coordinator Amy Burt presented on our youth education initiatives, volunteer opportunities, and public programs, which in 2025 reached over 700 participants.
Finally, Chief of Staff Rachel Bruce shared successes from the D.W. Field Park Initiative, through which we have raised nearly $5 million since 2022 to revitalize the City of Brockton’s 700-acre D.W. Field Park. This initiative is one of several that Wildlands has spearheaded to advance climate resilience and environmental justice in Southeastern Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities.
The Members Meeting was an opportunity for members not only to listen, but also to ask questions about our work and connect with one another. Before and after the presentation, members mingled over coffee and cookies and bonded over their shared passion for regional land conservation.
We hope to make Members Meetings an annual offering again after a long hiatus. Stay tuned for future announcements! In the meantime, please enjoy the benefits associated with your membership, including reduced admission to Wildlands programs, discounts at local and retailers and farms, and the satisfaction of knowing you are making the difference in the future of Southeastern Massachusetts.
We express our deep gratitude to all our members, who make our work possible and worthwhile.
Become a member today at wildlandstrust.org/membership.
Why do you support land conservation?
By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator
In June, our Solstice Celebration brought together conservation champions from across Southeastern Massachusetts for a day of art, music, food, hikes, and much more at Davis-Douglas Farm in Plymouth. Over 150 of us joined our voices to send a resounding message that nature is vital to the future of our region.
Our voices are louder together, but they are not all the same. Since land conservation has so many benefits, ranging from ecological to economic to spiritual, it perhaps comes as little surprise that there are almost as many reasons to support our work as there are people who support it.
To better serve our community, we wanted to know why people donate their money, time, and passion to our mission. So, we asked. During the Solstice Celebration, a station inside the Community Conservation Barn invited attendees to decorate small banners by completing the statement, “I support land conservation because…” We strung up their responses on a wall inside the barn to create a living tapestry, symbolizing our community’s diverse motivations to realize our shared vision.
Explore some of these motivations in the photo gallery below. Click on each photo to view the full caption.
Why do you support land conservation? Tell us in the comments or add a banner to our tapestry the next time you visit Davis-Douglas Farm!
Thank you to all who support our mission to keep Southeastern Massachusetts a remarkable place to live, work, and play. Your generosity makes our work possible. Feeling inspired? Join our community at wildlandstrust.org/membership.
Solstice Celebration Unites Regional Conservation Community
Drumming with Pride at the Solstice Celebration.
On the longest day of the year, the future of Southeastern Massachusetts got a little bit brighter.
Our Solstice Celebration on June 21 was a resounding success, made possible by the dedication of our community and the generosity of our sponsors. Together, we raised nearly $8,000 for our work to save land, for everyone, forever. Above all, we strengthened regional support for land conservation through a day of unity and fun. About 150 attendees chose to spend the first sunny Saturday in weeks with us, making one thing clear: the lands, waters, and wildlife of Southeastern Massachusetts will be in good hands for many solstices to come.
Sunny skies set the perfect backdrop for our busy schedule of events. Local poet Tzynya Pinchback kicked off the day with a captivating poetry reading, introducing listeners to her work as our Writing the Land poet for D.W. Field Park in Brockton. Then, a performance from Drumming with Pride got community members bobbing their heads and tapping their feet on the Davis-Douglas Farm lawn. A guided hike took nature lovers to the Beech Tree Clearing across the road at Emery Preserve. At the craft zone, artists of all ages experimented with cyanotype photography, nature stamping, fairy houses, gnome homes, and chalk art on the Community Conservation Barn patio. Various raffle prizes enticed visitors inside the barn. There, visitors also designed appreciation banners, sharing their reasons for supporting land conservation. Throughout the day, Larry Nelson of 95.9 WATD hosted a live broadcast of the event, including interviews with Wildlands staff members. Food from the Filling Station food truck and drinks from Second Wind Brewing Company offered delicious lunch options for all.
Click through the photo gallery below for more sights from the Solstice Celebration.
With the event, Wildlands hoped to unite existing members and welcome new members to our community. In addition to providing crucial financial support to our work, members demonstrate public buy-in to our work, helping us secure funding and partnerships to maximize our impact. Indeed, several new members joined Wildlands at the Solstice Celebration, helping us reach our spring membership drive goal! Thank you to all who lend their support to our mission. To become a member, visit wildlandstrust.org/membership.
Before the event, Wildlands President Karen Grey and Donor Relations Manager Rob Kluin spoke with WATD about the event, as well as about Wildlands Trust more generally and how people can support our work. Take a listen:
Thank you for making our Solstice Celebration an event we won’t soon forget!
We extend our sincere gratitude to the many local businesses that generously donated prizes to our raffles. Finally, a huge thank you to our event sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor
Tufankjian Honda of Plymouth
Supporting Sponsor
95.9 WATD
Tiny & Sons Auto Glass
Rockland Trust
Community Sponsors
Rotary Club of Plymouth, MA
Morrison’s Power Equipment
Friends
Merrill Engineers and Land Surveyors
Gary D. Richmond
Richmond’s Inc.