Westborough Community Land Trust

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The American Chestnut Story And Westborough Community Land Trust Annual Meeting

Monday, June 12

7:00 - 9:00 PM

St. Luke's Parish Hall

Did you know there is an American Chestnut tree breeding orchard in Westborough?

Learn the fascinating story behind the work that is being done there:

  • What happened to the American Chestnut, a former keystone species in the eastern woodlands?

  • What is Chestnut blight, and how did the scientific community react when it was first discovered in 1901?

  • How did a single pathogen cause an entire species to become functionally extinct?

  • What progress has been made in trying to restore this "Sequoia of the East” and is there any hope of success?

The sweeping Chestnut saga will be shared in this presentation, from the separation of the continents and the last glaciation to the current understanding of the Chestnut genome and advances in biotechnology.

Presenter Brad Smith joined the American Chestnut Foundation in the early 1990's, upon spotting his first Chestnut in the wild after reading a National Geographic article about this new organization. He became a board member of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapter soon after its founding in 2000; he is a past president and remains a director. He has been involved in surveying, pollinating, planting, harvesting and crossbreeding Chestnuts for the last two decades. Brad has recently retired from teaching Latin for 35 years, and has lived in Westborough since 1988.

Free and open to the public. Presentation will start at 7 pm; WCLT Annual Business Meeting will follow the presentation at about 8 pm. Non-members are welcome to leave after the presentation.

Location: St. Luke’s Parish Hall, 1 Ruggles St. Westborough MA

Contact: events@westboroughlandtrust.org

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Westborough Community Land Trust

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The Westborough Community Land Trust (WCLT) is a private, member-supported, nonprofit organization. The trust was established in 1997 to preserve open space in response to increasing development pressures.

Our purpose is to safeguard land to meet the environmental, recreational, agricultural, and scenic needs of the Town of Westborough and to preserve open space and the character of the land.

We pursue these goals through the acquisition and stewardship of land, educational activities, and advocacy in regard to the health of waterways, aquifers, and watersheds.

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To date WCLT has preserved more than 206 acres of land and acts as stewards for close to 400 acres in Westborough.

To carry on these activities, WCLT has Land Preservation, Stewardship, Education, Membership, and Finance Committees.

WCLT welcomes new members from Westborough and the greater community.

What are the advantages of a land trust?

As a nonprofit organization, a land trust such as the Westborough Community Land Trust is able to receive gifts of land, purchase open space, or secure conservation rights. It can negotiate with landowners and developers to achieve balanced growth and undertake creative fundraising for land acquisition. Unlike an official municipal body, a land trust can negotiate sensitive land acquisitions and pursue the financing needed to achieve them in a timely, flexible fashion.

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Westborough Community Land Trust, PO Box 838, Westborough , MA 01581
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