Our Annual Meeting began with a brief summary of activities of the BCTrust over the past year, and a vote by our members on the slate of Board members up for election. Our Keynote Speaker was Kristin O’Brien, Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT) Land Steward, who gave a presentation on how to manage invasive plants. Invasive plant species crowd out native plants, destroy wildlife habitats, and threaten the ecology of the region. Each species has their preferred habitats and methods of growth and dispersal, understanding these habits is essential to effective management. In this presentation Kristin introduced Massachusetts’s worst offenders, the impact they have on natives, and the various tools you can use to mange them.

Kristin manages over 3,000 acres of protected lands across 90 conservation restrictions and is the coordinator for both the Metrowest Conservation Alliance and the SuAsCo CISMA. Both organizations work with local partners to increase conservation efforts in the region. Kristin has a BS in biology: ecology and evolution from Hofstra University and an MS in biology: habitat management from Eastern Washington University.