Read below for an essay excerpted from 50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People, Wildlands’ 50th anniversary book honoring the partners and volunteers who have made remarkable contributions to land conservation in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Read “The Next Remarkable Chapter,” our series introduction by President Karen Grey.
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Wildlands Trust serves 55 towns in a vast 1,700-square-mile area of Southeastern Massachusetts that nearly one-third of the state’s residents call home. We advance our mission by working hand-in-glove with local conservation leaders who understand the open space objectives of their towns, grasp the political landscape, and are familiar with important landowners, who are often their friends and neighbors. Pat Loring and Gary Langenbach epitomize the local leadership we rely upon to do our work. They are true heroes of land conservation in our region.
The conservation ethic in the town of Duxbury runs deep. As one of the first towns in Massachusetts to designate conservation land, Duxbury is stunning, with healthy forests, unspoiled barrier beaches, and bountiful salt marshes. Its natural beauty is the result of visionary leadership that worked to protect all that makes the town special. Over the past 30 years, Pat Loring has led that charge. She is responsible for the protection of cranberry bogs, forests, religious lands, coastal properties, and the town’s historic dairy farm. Her land preservation instincts and skills are second to none.
Duxbury’s neighbor to the south, the town of Kingston, has received similar benefits from the leadership of Gary Langenbach, a long-time member and chair of the Kingston Conservation Commission. A native of the region, Gary has spent a lifetime exploring the remote corners of Southeastern Massachusetts. He has a wealth of knowledge about open lands and served for two decades as the chair of the Wildlands Trust Lands Committee, which visits and vets each parcel of land we consider for protection.
Purchase 50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People today: wildlandstrust.org/shop50