Berkshire Natural Resources Council hosted a series of networking events for municipal groups and local land trusts throughout Berkshire County this past February. These gatherings enabled town planners, land trust leaders, and many others to think—and learn—together to create opportunities for landowners to make conservation a part of their estate plans.
The gatherings were held across the county, in North Adams, Pittsfield, and Great Barrington. In total, the meetings gathered 65 people with representatives from town planning boards, conservation commissions, land trusts and passionate community members.
BNRC was eager to convene regional leaders and work with partners to share tools and expertise to better prepare them for conversations with landowners in their towns. Over half of the forests in Massachusetts are in private ownership and have little protection from future development. The conversations with landowners laid the foundation to protect these lands in perpetuity.