ANNUAL MEETING
Tuesday, October 18, at 7:00 pm, please join us for our Annual Meeting at the Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park Street.
Balancing Development with Conservation: ?? The City and Developers??? Roles in Land Preservation in Attleboro
Keynote speakers Gary Ayrassian and Brandon Faneuf will explain the roles of the City and developers in preserving land in Attleboro.
Gary Ayrassian, the Director of Attleboro???s Department of Planning and Development, ??will speak about the different types of subdivision planning that include a land donation component for open space and conservation purposes. For example, the Victoria Estates development off Read Street is an example of an Open Space Residential Development.
In addition, he will speak about how and why developers make open space land donations to the city. He will also explain the importance of the citizen-driven City Open Space and Recreation Plan in identifying and prioritizing pieces of land for future protection.
This plan has been important in the process of applying for and receiving the LAND grants from the Commonwealth???s EOEEA to purchase and protect in ??perpetuity hundreds of acres of open space for conservation purposes during the past few years alone, including the Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary at LaSalette, Handy Street Conservation Area, and The Deborah and Roger Richardson Nature Preserve.
Brandon Faneuf is the president and founder of Ecosystems Solutions, Inc. and has been working in the environmental science field for six years.
Faneuf was the wetland scientist that delineated the wetland resources on the Avalon Estates subdivision property in Attleboro and designated the area to be donated as a valuable buffer to the Hemlock Swamp.
The Hemlock Swamp has been identified in the City???s Open Space and Recreation Plan as one of 6 most ecologically sensitive areas in Attleboro due to its unique natural communities or diverse and/or threatened wildlife populations.
He will describe the physical characteristics, the wildlife, and the conservation values of this newly acquired open space and conservation property, located adjacent to the subdivision, as well as the role of migratory corridors in preserving wildlife diversity.
There will also be a report on our accomplishments over the past year. Members will vote on nominees for the board of directors.
Refreshments, including a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, will be served.
The event is free and open to the public.
SPECIAL NOTE: ??Due to strict insurance requirements, if you would like to be served an alcoholic beverage, you must bring a photo ID. ??You will have an opportunity to show your ID and have your hand stamped at the reception desk when you enter the museum.
If you would like to volunteer to help with this or other events, please reply to attleborolandtrust@gmail.com.