Open Space Conference

MORNING SESSIONS

​​​​Community Conservation and Housing: Creating the Future You Want

• Bob Wilber
• Kathy Sferra

This workshop explored three joint municipal and land trust projects that successfully integrated housing as part of the conservation outcome. The co-presenters shared lessons learned from each initiative. The first project addressed a longstanding conservation priority by incorporating a modest affordable housing component. The second project leveraged the sale of two market-rate homes to boost fundraising efforts. The third project involved a large property where conservation and housing stakeholders worked collaboratively with the landowner, creating a potential new model for future partnerships. The presenters emphasized the challenges and complexities faced, offering insights to help other conservation practitioners navigate the intersection of land conservation and housing objectives.

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A Climate Ready Shawsheen: MVP in Action

• Joyce Losick-Yang
• Alex Maxwell
• Ben Meade

Climate adaptation refers to how communities prepare for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Like many others, Andover is already feeling these effects. The town’s primary climate challenges are increased precipitation and rising temperatures, with flooding from the Shawsheen River identified as the most significant threat. Through Andover’s first Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) action grant, the town set three key adaptation goals: reducing vulnerability to flooding, improving connectivity and accessibility of open spaces, and raising community awareness. This presentation outlined Andover’s strategies for achieving these goals and share valuable lessons that may benefit other communities.

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AFTERNOON SESSIONS

Conserving Land in Chapter 61: Municipal Right of First Refusal

• Kathleen Colleary, Esq.
• Chris LaPointe, Greenbelt

This presentation outlined the statutory framework that allows landowners to receive preferential tax treatment for forest land from cities and towns. It focussed on the criteria, process, and timeline established by the statute for municipalities to exercise their right of first refusal (ROFR) when there is a change in land use. Greenbelt staff presented two case studies involving municipal ROFR in Lynnfield and Haverhill, highlighting strategies and funding approaches used in each case.

Key points that were covered include:

• A municipal acquires a ROFR option to acquire land upon its classification and taxation for forest use under G.L. c. 61, 61A or 61B
• A landowner cannot sell or convert classified land for residential, commercial, or industrial use during (1) any fiscal year the land was classified and (2) the fiscal year following the year it was classified, unless the landowner notifies the municipality of that intent with specified information and documentation.
• Upon proper notice, the municipality must follow a statutory process and timetable for exercising its option and officials should engage municipal counsel to ensure proper
• closure of the acquisition.

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Trail Building: From Funding to Finish

• David Alden-St.Pierre
• Glen Gollrad, Northeast Trailworks

The who, what, where, when, why, and how a trail goes from idea to reality. Following the winding path to creating an additional trail in a local system, and how this can apply to you. The presenters shared regional examples of creating sustainable, multi-use trails, covering project progression from early concept visioning through design, permitting, construction, and long term maintenance planning. 

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Chris LaPointe

Chris LaPointe has been President of Greenbelt since September 2024. A member of the Greenbelt leadership team since 2015, most recently serving as Vice President of Conservation Operations, he has led efforts to protect more than 6,200 acres in Essex County — accounting for 86 percent of all land conserved in the region during this period.

Bob Wilber

Bob Wilber is currently the Director of Conservation Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Previously, he directed statewide land conservation programs in both the public and private sectors in Massachusetts — serving for more than 30 years in that capacity with Massachusetts State Forests & Parks, The Nature Conservancy, and, most recently, with Mass Audubon.

Bob was the first president of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC), and lives in Stow, where he led the successful campaign for adoption of the Community Preservation Act in 2001, and where he has volunteered for several decades with the Town of Stow’s Open Space and Community Preservation committees and served on the Board of the all-volunteer Stow Conservation Trust.

Kathy Sferra

Kathy Sferra has more than 40 years of experience in land conservation and land use planning in communities across the state from Pittsfield to Provincetown. She has served almost continuously on municipal planning, conservation, open space, and community preservation committees in Grafton, Marshfield, and Stow. She has served as Conservation Director in her hometown of Stow for the past 11 years after working for Mass Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, and the Cape Cod Commission. Kathy is a former member of the Board of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions and currently serves on the Board of the Massachusetts Society of Municipal Conservation Professionals. She has a Masters of Regional Planning from UMass/Amherst.

Joyce Losick-Yang

Joyce Losick-Yang joined the Town of Andover as Director of Sustainability and Energy after a decade of public service with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Starting as AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, transitioning to technology manager, and rising to become the Director of Laboratory Impact Initiative at DOE, Joyce sought to complement her research background with experiences in public policy, stakeholder engagement, consensus building, grant evaluations, technology commercialization, and project management. She routinely briefed senior leaders at the Energy Department, the White House, and the U.S. Congress. These skills serve her well in current duties in advising the Town of Andover on climate policies and obtaining and managing grants from private foundations, state and federal programs.

Joyce relishes working with students and community volunteers on her projects, including but not limited to the Andover Community Power program, the first ever Andover Climate Summit, climate resilience work for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, and the town-wide Climate Action and Sustainability Plan. Joyce obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Rutgers University, and her doctorate in Genetics and Micrology from MIT.

Alex Maxwell

As an engineer and urbanist by training with over 12 years of experience, Alex Maxwell has broadly focused on environmental planning, design, and sustainable development. Currently, he serves as a project manager and senior environmental planner at Fuss & O’Neill where he works on municipal vulnerability preparedness projects, environmental impact evaluations, and river corridor and coastal climate resilience master plans. Previously, Alex worked as a senior manager of climate programs at Second Nature, taught courses in civil and environmental engineering as an Assistant Professor at Gonzaga University, and worked as an environmental planning consultant on several projects related to local climate action planning, campus food waste, and walkable urban design. Overseas, Alex also spent several years working as a Fulbright-University of Strathclyde Research Scholar with the Urban Design Studies Unit in Glasgow, Scotland and for the Climate Change Planning Unit at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ben Meade

Ben Meade is the Town of Andover’s Conservation Agent, a position he has held for the last 7 years. His role involves assistance with wetland permitting, working on open space management tasks, and providing staff support to the Town of Andover’s Conservation Commission. He particularly enjoys speaking with members of the public about the importance of open space and the environment around us. Prior to joining the Town of Andover, Ben worked in the environmental consulting industry providing environmental monitoring, 3rd party peer review services, and wetland permitting assistance to private and public sector clients.

Kathleen Colleary

Kathleen Colleary was legal counsel to the Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services for more than 38 years and as Chief of the Bureau of Municipal Finance Law, was the Division’s chief legal counsel from 2005 until her retirement in 2018. She is a graduate of Boston College Law School and Arizona State University. Ms. Colleary is a member of the Watertown Board of Assessors and Co-chair of the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers (MAAO) Legislative Committee. She is a past President and Vice-President of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association (MMLA) and currently serves as Treasurer and Chair of the MMLA’s finance committee.

David Alden-St.Pierre

David Alden-St.Pierre, Chair of Beverly’s Open Space and Recreation Committee, is a lifer when it comes to trails. From riding his bike to elementary school in his local woods, to co-founding Northeast Trailworks. If he’s not on a trail, he’s thinking about one.

David has been a member of Beverly’s Conservation Commission and served as a seasonal trail steward at Trustees of Reservations Moraine Farm. Currently, he is a Massachusetts licensed excavator operator, member of the Society of Outdoor Recreational Professionals. a USA Cycling Category 2 coach, and a Bicycle Instructor Certification Program Ride Leader. Additionally, he also teaches trailside first aid courses through SafeTrailsFirstAid. David has ridden, run, or hiked on trails all over the US, Europe, and Australia, but lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three dogs, six chickens and lots of bikes.

Glen Gollrad

Glen Gollrad is an architect with decades of experience taking municipal projects from visioning and concept design to completion within timeframe and budget. Coupling his in-the-trenches experience with decades of trail advocacy and trail work, he co-founded Northeast Trailworks to get back to his roots outdoors.

Glen’s projects range from the primitive backcountry hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests, to the Topsfield Linear Common. His extensive architectural and construction backgrounds, primarily in the municipal realm, have given Glen valuable experience in navigating the various required permitting processes for trail development. Glen’s vision is to bring the amazing local trails and trail systems up to 21st century standards, making sustainable multi-use trails that can be utilized year-round.