September 7, 2024, Saturday, 11 a.m. ELT’s annual meeting at French Park, North Egremont. Rain or shine. Free. Tom Tyning, field biologist and environmental scientist, will present “Frogs and Snakes are Fascinating” at 11a.m., rain or shine, with live frogs and snakes. All are welcome. Afterwards, ELT will conduct its brief business meeting, followed by a lunch provided by ELT. Everyone is welcome to this free event.
Tom went to work at MA Audubon after graduating from college. He received both his BS (wildlife biology) and MS (organismic and evolutionary biology) from UMass Amherst, where he focused on the biology and conservation of the timber rattlesnake. Since 1999, he has been a professor of environmental science at Berkshire Community College. Prior to that, he was a field biologist and Master Naturalist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society for 24 years.
Like many other environmental organizations, the Egremont Land Trust was formed in response to a development threat. In 1985, opponents of the development of the old Jug End Resort’s 1100 acres organized Egremont Environmental Action and challenged the developers’ proposal for 605 housing units there.
Eventually, after several years of complicated proceedings, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, acquired the property and established the Jug End State Reservation and Wildlife Management Area.
EEA changed its name in 1998 to the more descriptive Egremont Land Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We embraced our mission: Recognizing the pressures on land use and also recognizing the rights of individual property owners, we believe that is imperative to preserve and maintain the rural New England character of Egremont for present and future generations.
Change is inevitable, and it is ELT’s aim to influence its direction to benefit all members of the community. Our collaborations with Berkshire Natural Resources Council, The Nature Conservancy, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Sheffield Land Trust, MA Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and other local land trusts help us with our mission.
Although ELT’s first interest is in preserving land, we take seriously our educational mission. We offer a series of walks and presentations featuring the ecology of Egremont. Our annual September meeting, open to all, includes a wildlife presenter and our business meeting. We send out an annual newsletter.
We support projects with the public school (kindergarten/first grade) in South Egremont, sponsoring special nature courses and helping with the children’s garden.
The Egremont Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Membership and donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
