When the Preservation Trust completes an acquisition project, it’s the culmination of significant effort requiring diplomacy, financial resources, due diligence, and the concerted energy of a skilled team. This process, like any real-estate transaction, sometimes veers into unexpected twists and turns and can take years to complete. The day of “closing” is cause for celebration, when we ring a bell in the office and revel in the gratifying sense of accomplishment that comes with advancing the first of the three “Cs” of our mission, to “Conserve island land.”
SJPT stewardship staff with forestry consultant Marty Main | Staff archive
Closing on a project wraps up an essential, often exciting, chapter, but it is far from the end of the story. What comes next is implementing the Preservation Trust’s commitment to the second (or middle) “C”—Caring for the land in perpetuity. Our land stewards and caretakers are tasked with learning all they can about the places they care for, gathering quantitative and qualitative information over time, and applying the latest science-based management practices across an array of habitats, from marine shoreline to rocky bluffs and agricultural lands.
Recently our stewardship staff spent an education day with Marty Main, a seasoned ecological forester whose career has focused on helping small-woodland owners with assessment, setting management priorities, and responding to climate change. He’s a valuable resource for landowners, like SJPT, who seek to manage their forests for ecological function, health, habitat, and resilience.
The opportunity to spend a day with Marty, discussing challenges, wrestling with complexities, considering various perspectives, and learning from the forest, was educational, inspiring, and all in a day’s work for our dedicated land stewards.