Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/48190
ne Environment Turkey Trot: Turkeys ambling (left) near the Great House on Castle Hill (right). "As we were planning for the Allée restoration, we knew that we had to make provisions for irrigation … in the event of a mandatory town-wide water ban," Murray says. A drought would be the undoing of the substantial investment in new trees along the half-mile landscape. The organization esti- mates they could collect 180,000 gallons of rainwater a year from the roof—enough to take care of those young trees until they can stand on their own. The cistern revival is symbolic of a rethinking of the mis- sion and goals of the Trustees of Reservations, a 120-year-old organization dedicated to preserving and protecting more than 100 special places in Massachusetts—some 20 of which are found on the North Shore. It was one of the first land trust organizations in the country, so shifting its time-honed methods wasn't a natural move. But in response to chang- ing times that demand more agile environmental action, the Trustees launched its 2017 Strategic Plan to make the organi- zation more relevant in an age of eco-upheaval. The emphasis on the environment is not just a feel-good plan—the Trustees have 75 miles of coastline property that they are the first to admit could very well be radically altered by global warming. The organization is now halfway through this ambitious four-part plan, adopted in 2007 and which involves accelerat- ing the rate at which land is protected throughout the state, engaging more people in the organization's mission and becoming leaders in conservation and sustainability. While the Trustees have been using the plan as a blueprint for the past five years, a lot has changed since it was put forth. Its aggressive membership and volunteerism goals—and its stated aim of making Massachusetts the nation's leader in environmentalism—appear out of reach. As Trustees President Andy Kendall wryly notes, "The 10-year plan was adopted right before the recession, at a point in time when we thought the world was going to continue to expand forever." "Things have changed dramatically," he adds, admitting that 112 nshoremag.com December/Holiday 2011 nshoremag.com December/Holiday 2011