Leadership Council Brunch Honors High-Impact Donors

On June 13, Wildlands Trust honored its Leadership Council with a brunch at idyllic Whip’s Farm in Plymouth. 

Leadership Council members provide upper-level donor support to Wildlands. With an annual gift totaling $500 or more, Leadership Council members help secure Wildlands’ status as a premier regional land trust in New England. 

“The Leadership Council gathering at Whip’s Farm was a resounding success in all the ways we envisioned and hoped for,” said Donor Relations Manager Rob Kluin. “Foremost, we wanted the event to celebrate and showcase the circle of remarkable people who are supporting Wildlands Trust’s mission at the ‘leadership’ level of giving. Their consistent and generous support makes them integral partners in our work. The event’s setting at Whip’s Farm, with its spectacular views of lands permanently protected by Wildlands, cast an inspiring spotlight on what successful land conservation partnerships look like and how they benefit people and nature. In sharing words of gratitude under a tent filled with Leadership Council friends, Wildlands President Karen Grey highlighted Wildlands’ impacts and the timely need for its continued efforts. Growing the base of our most generous Leadership Council donors will be vital to keeping in step with that ever-growing demand.” 

Click through the photo gallery below for more sights from the Leadership Council brunch. Photos by Ken Grille.

After a delicious brunch catered by Rye Tavern, attendees heard from local and regional conservation leaders about the work that the Leadership Council helps support. Wildlands Board Chair Sam Chapin introduced President Karen Grey, who spoke about the unique partnerships that Wildlands has fostered over the years by adopting a community-first mindset. David Gould, Director of the Town of Plymouth’s Department of Energy & Environment, corroborated Grey’s remarks, praising Wildlands as a holistic partner that makes big ideas possible.

To put a bow on a perfect day, many attendees joined Wildlands staff for a walk from Whip’s Farm to Eel River Preserve, Wildlands’ abutting riverside property.

To show its appreciation for Leadership Council members, Wildlands holds a supper at Davis-Douglas Farm each fall and a preserve tour each spring. 

Thank you to all the members of the Leadership Council, who provide vital support to our work to protect and restore the natural beauty of Southeastern Massachusetts. 

To join the Leadership Council, visit wildlandstrust.org/leadership-council or contact Donor Relations Manager Rob Kluin at rkluin@wildlandstrust.org or (774) 343-5121 ext. 113. 

Solstice Celebration Unites Regional Conservation Community

Drumming with Pride at the Solstice Celebration.

On the longest day of the year, the future of Southeastern Massachusetts got a little bit brighter.

Our Solstice Celebration on June 21 was a resounding success, made possible by the dedication of our community and the generosity of our sponsors. Together, we raised nearly $8,000 for our work to save land, for everyone, forever. Above all, we strengthened regional support for land conservation through a day of unity and fun. About 150 attendees chose to spend the first sunny Saturday in weeks with us, making one thing clear: the lands, waters, and wildlife of Southeastern Massachusetts will be in good hands for many solstices to come.

Sunny skies set the perfect backdrop for our busy schedule of events. Local poet Tzynya Pinchback kicked off the day with a captivating poetry reading, introducing listeners to her work as our Writing the Land poet for D.W. Field Park in Brockton. Then, a performance from Drumming with Pride got community members bobbing their heads and tapping their feet on the Davis-Douglas Farm lawn. A guided hike took nature lovers to the Beech Tree Clearing across the road at Emery Preserve. At the craft zone, artists of all ages experimented with cyanotype photography, nature stamping, fairy houses, gnome homes, and chalk art on the Community Conservation Barn patio. Various raffle prizes enticed visitors inside the barn. There, visitors also designed appreciation banners, sharing their reasons for supporting land conservation. Throughout the day, Larry Nelson of 95.9 WATD hosted a live broadcast of the event, including interviews with Wildlands staff members. Food from the Filling Station food truck and drinks from Second Wind Brewing Company offered delicious lunch options for all.

Click through the photo gallery below for more sights from the Solstice Celebration.

Tzynya Pinchback poetry reading

Guided hike to Emery Preserve

The Filling Station food truck

Raffle drawing in the barn

Craft zone

Hike at Emery Preserve

Wildlands staff and friends

Davis-Douglas Farm lawn

Kyla Isakson and Scott MacFaden at the welcome table

Raffles in the barn

Solstice Celebration at Davis-Douglas Farm

WATD interviews Rachel Bruce

Parking crew

Rebecca leads the craft zone

Callahan gets the lawn ready

Audience on the Davis-Douglas Farm lawn

Raffle drawing in the barn

With the event, Wildlands hoped to unite existing members and welcome new members to our community. In addition to providing crucial financial support to our work, members demonstrate public buy-in to our work, helping us secure funding and partnerships to maximize our impact. Indeed, several new members joined Wildlands at the Solstice Celebration, helping us reach our spring membership drive goal! Thank you to all who lend their support to our mission. To become a member, visit wildlandstrust.org/membership.

Before the event, Wildlands President Karen Grey and Donor Relations Manager Rob Kluin spoke with WATD about the event, as well as about Wildlands Trust more generally and how people can support our work. Take a listen:

Thank you for making our Solstice Celebration an event we won’t soon forget!

We extend our sincere gratitude to the many local businesses that generously donated prizes to our raffles. Finally, a huge thank you to our event sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor 

Tufankjian Honda of Plymouth 

Supporting Sponsor 

95.9 WATD 

Tiny & Sons Auto Glass 

Rockland Trust 

Community Sponsors 

Rotary Club of Plymouth, MA 

Morrison’s Power Equipment 

Friends 

Merrill Engineers and Land Surveyors 

Gary D. Richmond

Richmond’s Inc. 

Welcome, Rob Kluin!

Wildlands Trust is ecstatic to welcome Rob Kluin to our growing staff! As Donor Relations Manager, Rob will forge and foster relationships with generous individuals and businesses across Southeastern Massachusetts, securing vital support for our mission. Get to know Rob in the bio below, and reacquaint yourself with our whole staff at wildlandstrust.org/staff.

Rob replaces longtime Donor Relations Manager Sue Chamberlain, who retired this spring after 11 years of service to Wildlands. We look forward to honoring her at our Leadership Council brunch next month. Stay tuned for more reflection on Sue’s impactful career.

If you would like to support our work to protect the region’s remarkable lands and waters, Rob would love to hear from you! Say hello at 774-343-5121 ext. 113 or rkluin@wildlandstrust.org.

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Rob Kluin, Donor Relations Manager - ☎️ 📧

A people person and a nature person, Rob Kluin is a rarity in the conservation field. As Donor Relations Manager, Rob leverages his networking and communication skills to connect Wildlands Trust with vital support from the communities we serve.  

Growing up in the Adirondacks, Rob developed a lifelong respect for land protection and stewardship. At a crossroads in his career, Rob knew he wanted to settle in a place with the same reverence for the natural world. As he flipped through an atlas for potential next stops, Plymouth’s ragged coastline caught his eye. Then came a serendipitous job offer that made his dream a reality. Rob moved in near Shifting Lots Preserve, where he got to know Wildlands’ far-reaching work. Two decades later, Rob jumped at the chance to put his people skills to work for the organization that helped him fall in love with the region. 

“I truly love people, and Wildlands brings people together for the common good,” Rob said. “That’s a very positive and impressive thing in a world of so many differences. I would love for my legacy to be that I opened doors for new people to support Wildlands’ mission.” 

As Donor Relations Manager, Rob collaborates with the Wildlands team to grow the donor base and maintain strong relationships with existing contributors. Before joining Wildlands, Rob held senior communications and marketing positions with corporate and nonprofit organizations, including Manomet Conservation Sciences and Plimoth Patuxet Museums. He continues to serve on Manomet’s board of trustees and was vice president of the board for Cape Rep Theatre for eight years. Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York and a master's degree in Corporate Communications from Ithaca College. 

Outside of work, Rob enjoys gardening, traveling, cooking, swimming, and spending quality time with his family, friends, and cat Mocha. 

Wildlands Attends Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference

STC House Managers Paul Gallerani and Judy Savage share information about the Stewardship Training Center with attendees of the 2025 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference.

By Wildlands staff

At Wildlands, we’re always looking for ways to improve and expand our work in Southeastern Massachusetts. Sometimes, that search leads us far beyond our region’s borders. Invariably, we come home with new insights, skills, and relationships to share with the communities we serve. 

On March 21, a record 15 (!) Wildlands staff members and volunteers traveled to Amherst for the 2025 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference, hosted by the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC). Wildlands Trust is a strong supporter of MLTC’s mission “to advance land conservation across Massachusetts by providing education, tools, networking and advocacy for land trusts and their partners.” In addition to sponsoring the annual conference, Wildlands shares Chief of Staff Rachel Bruce with the MLTC Board of Trustees. 

“The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition provides the platform for land conservation professionals to stay connected to one another and to present a unified voice,” Wildlands President Karen Grey said. Grey served on the MLTC board for 14 years. “Wildlands Trust is a stronger organization because of the resources we access through our active participation in MLTC.” 

Wildlands President Karen Grey spoke about our Brockton Kids Lead the Way Initiative with Manomet Conservation Sciences during her presentation about our Community Stewardship Program.

Beyond our attendance numbers, Wildlands was well-represented at the conference, presenting workshops, organizing networking events, and tabling with information about the Stewardship Training Center. Four Wildlands-hosted workshops shared our successes and lessons learned with the state land conservation community. Karen Grey presented with Jen Plowden of the Land Trust Alliance about “A Blueprint for Better Boards: Three Strategies for Board Recruitment.” Land use attorney and Dennis Murphy presented on Wildlands' complex project to save Picone Farm in Middleborough. Rachel Bruce and Programming Coordinator Amy Burt presented “Beyond DEI Statements: A Case Study for Delivering a Land Trust Mission in a Gateway City,” recounting our ongoing environmental justice work in Brockton. To end the day, Karen Grey presented once again, this time with Barnstable Land Trust’s Janet Milkman about our Community Stewardship Program. 

The MLTC conference offers land conservation professionals a rare opportunity to bond over their shared missions and values. Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti serves on the Organizing Committee of the Early Conservation Career Network (ECCN), an interest group of the MLTC that “provides networking and training opportunities for those in their first 10 years of a career in land conservation.” ECCN gathers the night before the conference every year to build camaraderie and community. This year, the event saw over 30 early-career conservationists, including eight from Wildlands, learn about spotted salamanders at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment before heading to Tree House Brewing Company for pizza and drinks. 

Rachel Bruce presents at the pre-conference ECCN gathering.

ECCN listens for frogs at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.

ECCN learns about spotted salamanders at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.

Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski also led a stewardship networking lunch during the conference, giving land stewards across the state a chance to come together and “talk shop.”  

Below, hear from Wildlands staff and volunteers about their experiences at this year’s Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference. 

Rachel Bruce, Chief of Staff & MLTC Trustee 

“The conference is a great opportunity for Wildlands both to showcase our work to our colleagues, as demonstrated at our multiple presentations and our outreach table, and to learn from the incredible work taking place at nonprofits and state agencies across the state. Networking with land professionals from many walks opens up doors for creative problem solving, big-picture thinking, and meaningful collaboration that advances our collective mission to protect and steward Massachusetts' natural landscapes.” 

Amy Burt, Programming Coordinator 

"The ECCN meeting was a timely reminder of the importance of new generations' commitment to the conservation field. I am inspired to look towards the future with such enthusiastic individuals." 

Rob Kluin, Donor Relations Manager 

“Overall, the Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference was very beneficial for me. Beyond the knowledge and great insights that I gained from a variety of informative workshops, the conference offered many opportunities for making conversations and meaningful connections. I was impressed by the mission-driven organizations and passionate people at this conference and came away feeling inspired and even more grateful for the work of Wildlands Trust.” 

U.S. Representative Jim McGovern delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference.

Zoë Smiarowski, Stewardship Programs Manager 

“At my first MLTC conference in 2023, I spent a lot of time at the Stewardship Training Center table, talking with folks. This time around, I had the opportunity to attend more sessions. I really enjoyed not only the speakers but also listening to questions and comments for the speakers from audience members. It's inspiring to see the ways our land trust community shows up for each other and engages in reciprocal learning.” 

Rebecca Cushing, Land Steward 

“The ECCN 'Big Night' talk and social gathering was definitely a highlight for me. I loved connecting with a diverse group of people brought together by their passion for conservation and hear about what they're doing in the early stages of their careers in the field. I also really enjoyed the presentation on managing invasive plants at the conference. The presenters shared their unique experiences in great detail and offered strategies that could be applied across different organizations with different resources and goals.” 

Sam Butcher, D.W. Field Park Initiative Project Facilitator 

“As a member of a challenged land trust board, I found Karen Grey and Jen Plowden’s talk on how to build a successful board extremely insightful and helpful. The interactive role-play format highlighted board challenges and brought audience members into the presentation, further broadening the perspective and enhancing the value of the presentation.” 

Paul Gallerani, Assistant STC House Manager 

“It was so nice to be surrounded by hundreds of people that care about the environment.  Such a new thing for me. It charged my nature battery!” 

Welcome, Callahan!

Wildlands Trust is ecstatic to welcome Land Steward Callahan Coughlin to our team! Callahan is the second Land Steward to join us this winter, doubling the size of our permanent stewardship staff. Along with Rebecca Cushing, who joined us in January, Callahan will assist in the maintenance and management of Wildlands preserves. Read Callahan’s bio below, and be sure to say hello when you see him on the trails!

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As a Wildlands Trust Land Steward, Callahan Coughlin returns to the region and organization that first set his sights on a career of community and impact. 

Growing up near Plymouth’s Morton Park, Callahan spent much of his childhood in nature, wandering the woods with his siblings and kayaking on Billington Sea. He first encountered Wildlands in 2017 as a member of Green Team, our summer service-learning program for conservation-minded high school students. Even then, Callahan took note of the tight-knit dynamic of Wildlands’ staff. His time on Green Team led him to his first job at Bay End Farm in Bourne, which cemented his desire to work outdoors on a small, driven team. After college, Callahan spent six months in Georgia, conducting prescribed burns to restore the habitat of gopher tortoises and other native species. But the opportunity to monitor, maintain, and restore Wildlands’ protected areas, eight years after Green Team, compelled him to come home. 

“I wanted to find something where I could make a real difference and learn more about local plants and wildlife,” Callahan said. “It’s inspiring to do good work with good people.” 

Callahan studied environmental science and agriculture at UMass Amherst. After graduating, he completed an internship with the Friends of Chatham Waterways. In his free time, Callahan enjoys kayaking, archery, cooking, and identifying flora and fauna. He also serves as a Marine Animal Rescue & Response Volunteer for Whale and Dolphin Conservation.