Jim Comeau has dedicated his entire professional career to land conservation. Over a period of nearly four decades working as a land protection planner for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), he has played a pivotal role in the permanent protection of countless natural landscapes throughout the Greater Boston region and across the Commonwealth.
Highly respected by his peers in the conservation community for his expertise, tenacity, and ability to structure impactful conservation deals — even under the most challenging and complex circumstances — in ways that leave all parties satisfied, Jim is regarded as a true master of his craft.
He is also a longtime Greenbelt friend and partner. Throughout his career, Jim has worked alongside and in collaboration with a number of Greenbelt staff members and currently sits on the Land Protection Committee. In recognition of his unwavering commitment to land conservation, he was honored with Greenbelt’s Al Creighton Award in 2016.
An Active Retirement
Since retiring from DCR three years ago, Jim has maintained a strong connection to the world of land conservation, applying his unique skill set to a variety of causes. This includes lending a hand to many of the Friends Groups associated with parks he once managed, supporting the implementation of the Public Land Protection Act (aka the Open Space Act), and most recently volunteering his time with the Solomon Foundation and Mass Parks for All. Last month, he also began working part-time with the Greenbelt conservation team to advance various projects and mentor new staff.
“I might have to retire from retirement one of these days,” Jim jokes. “But I’m passionate about using my knowledge to make a difference wherever I can.” Working with Greenbelt, he adds, is a wonderful opportunity to stay connected with land protection in a meaningful way while helping educate the next generation of conservationists.
Every Project Is Important
When asked to name some of the projects he’s most proud of throughout his career, Jim is reluctant to pick favorites. “Every project was important — that’s how I always viewed it,” he says. “At times, we measured land by the square foot, other times by the hundreds of acres. All acquisitions were significant for different reasons.”
That being said, there were certainly some highlights along the way, including the 15 land acquisitions that added 400 acres to the iconic Blue Hills Reservation; 16 projects that added well over a square mile to Fowl Meadow Reservation in Milton and Canton; and, closer to home, his role in protecting nearly every acre of what is now the 960-acre Rumney Marsh Reservation, a crucial stop for migratory birds along the Atlantic Flyway.
Protecting Lynn Woods
A native of Lynn and longtime resident of neighboring Salem, Jim also takes great pride in the role he played advancing the landmark conservation restriction that ensures the permanent protection of the 2,100-acre Lynn Woods Reservation — a milestone decades in the making.
“Way back In the ’90s, the Commonwealth acquired a proposed residential development in Saugus near Walden Pond Reservoir. In exchange, the City of Lynn agreed to record a conservation restriction, but we just couldn’t get it done — the project was just too complex and unwieldy to complete,” Jim recalls. Despite the setback, he never lost hope and kept the project on the back burner, waiting for the right moment.
“It wasn’t until Greenbelt got involved a few years ago that the project really began to gain traction,” he says. “Enthusiastic leadership from within City Hall and solid support from Lynn’s legislative delegation were complemented by a highly engaged community group — the Friends of Lynn Woods — all helping move things forward.” Although Jim was retired by the time the project was completed, he had helped lay the groundwork and remained actively involved as a volunteer until the very end.
A Beginning in Parks Management
Prior to focusing on land acquisition, Jim’s career was dedicated to park management, a field he studied at UMass Amherst. He started with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, gaining experience at the Boston Harbor Islands before joining the Metropolitan District Commission, first at the Blue Hills Reservation and later at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. Over time, he advanced from managing parks to managing the people who managed parks, eventually becoming Regional Supervisor for each of the three Greater Boston regions.
“I moved over to the land acquisition side in the early ’90s because I thought I could make a more lasting impact on the environment — and that’s exactly how it turned out,” he reflects.