The Trustees of Reservations (also referred to as Trustees or The Trustees after a 2021 rebranding[6]) is a non-profitland conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit organization of its kind in the world[7] and has 100,000 member households as of 2021.[4] In addition to land stewardship, the organization is also active in conservation partnerships, community supported agriculture (CSA), environmental and conservation education, community preservation and development, and green building. The Trustees owns title to 120 properties on 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) in Massachusetts,[1] all of which are open to the public. In addition, it holds 393 conservation restrictions to protect an additional 20,000 acres (8,100 ha).[8] Properties include historic mansions, estates, and gardens; woodland preserves; waterfalls; mountain peaks; wetlands and riverways; coastal bluffs, beaches, and barrier islands; farmland and CSA projects; and archaeological sites.
The main office of the organization was formerly at Long Hill in Beverly. In 2017, a new headquarters was established in Boston.[9] The Trustees Archives & Research Center (ARC) is located in Sharon.[10] In June 2006, The Trustees earned gold-level recognition from the United States Green Building Council for its Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster.
Financial support for the organization comes from membership dues, annual contributions, property admission fees, special events, grants, and endowments. In 2014, after seven years as an affiliate, the Boston Natural Areas Network merged with the Trustees.[11]
The Trustees of Reservations was proposed in 1890 when the New England periodical Garden and Forest published a letter by landscape architectCharles Eliot (protégé of Frederick Law Olmsted) entitled "The Waverly Oaks."[2] Eliot's letter proposed the immediate preservation of "special bits of scenery" still remaining "within ten miles (16 km) of the State House which possess uncommon beauty and more than usual refreshing power." To this end, Eliot proposed that legislation be enacted to create a nonprofit corporation to hold land for the public to enjoy "just as a Public Library holds books and an Art Museum holds pictures."
In the spring of 1891, the Massachusetts Legislature established The Trustees of Public Reservations "for the purposes of acquiring, holding, maintaining and opening to the public beautiful and historic places within the Commonwealth."[12] The act was signed into law by GovernorWilliam E. Russell on May 21, 1891. The word "Public" was dropped from the organization's name in 1954 to avoid confusion with government-owned land.[13]
In 1925, The Trustees joined with the Appalachian Mountain Club, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England) to organize a conference on "The Needs and Uses of Open Spaces." This conference led to a 1929 report by the Governor's Committee on Needs and Uses of Open Spaces that emphasized the need to protect the state's rural character and countryside and the importance of identifying and describing the qualities and characteristics of specific sites that should be preserved.[15] The report included a "Map of existing and proposed open spaces".[16] Today, nearly every site listed in the report is protected by a government or nonprofit conservation agency.[17]
Six individuals have served The Trustees as President and CEO.[20] Andrew Kendall held the position from 2000 to 2012.[21] Barbara Erickson, the first woman to serve in the role, was appointed in 2012.[22][23] John Judge was appointed in 2021.[20] Katie Theoharides was appointed in 2023.[5][24]
The purpose of The Trustees is to "to protect and share the Massachusetts places people love for their exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value."[25]
Initiatives
The Doyle Conservation Center is a green architecture initiative and regional office, conference, and education center located in Doyle Community Park[26] in Leominster, Massachusetts. The structure, designed by HKT Architects of Somerville, Massachusetts and landscape architects Hines Wasser & Associates, was registered for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification with the United States Green Building Council. The building includes "photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency lighting and controls, a displacement ventilation system, high performance windows, a high performance building envelope, geothermal wells and carbon dioxide monitoring systems;" it incorporates green materials such as desks made of sunflower seeds, bamboo and cork flooring, and recycled fiber carpet and paneling.[27]
Former Initiatives
The Putnam Conservation Institute, also known as the Conservation Common, was active from 2007 to 2012.[28] It offered workshops, conferences, and networking for land conservationists, urban park advocates, historic preservationists, watershed associations, state agencies, and municipal commissions.
The Highland Communities Initiative was a cooperative effort of The Trustees and community members from small hilltowns in The Berkshires geography dedicated to preserving regional cultural and physical landscapes and enhancing the quality of life of local residents.[29]
The Trustees owns and manages a broad range of properties across the state of Massachusetts. Many properties contain historic buildings, including nine historic house museums and two lighthouses open to the public. The Trustees manages five National Historic Landmarks, one National Natural Landmark, and several properties that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[31] In addition, The Trustees manages, per contract, the Tully Lake Campground in Royalston and the Westport Town Farm. Until 2023, the Trustees managed Norton Point Beach in Edgartown, which is owned by Dukes County.[32][33]
The Old Manse of Concord, built by William Emerson and his wife Phebe Bliss Emerson in 1770, and made famous by transcendentalist writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson (grandson of William and Phebe Emerson), novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the "shot heard round the world" at the North Bridge in the backyard of the house that marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775.
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