MECT held its 54th Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 12, 2017 at the Manchester Community Center. MECT President, Mike Dyer, reported on a tremendously successful year, the highlight of which was the acquisition of 67 acres of land in the Essex woods that brings us ever closer to our goal of protecting all of the Wilderness Conservation Area that encompasses roughly 2000 acres of land in the heart of Manchester and Essex.
Dr. Richard Primack, author of Walden Warming and professor of Biology at Boston University, was the featured speaker for the event. He spoke to a full house, and gave an informative and detailed talk on the present day effects of climate change on plant and animal behavior right here in Massachusetts. His data indicates that urbanization contributes strongly to the degree of warming that we have already experienced in Massachusetts, particularly in the metro Boston area, which exemplifies the need to continue in earnest with our efforts to conserve undeveloped land in our communities.
MECT bid a fond farewell and a heartfelt thank you to two long time Trustees who will be truly missed. Both Bill Vachon and Kurt Wilhelm have stepped down from their roles as Trustees of MECT after many years of dedicated service. We are fortunate that Bill will continue to serve as a member of the MECT Land Acquisition and Protection Committee. In turn, we are thrilled to welcome Fred Wales, a long time volunteer dedicated to MECTs land research efforts, as a new Trustee. MECT is also fortunate to have re-elected all three of our current officers, President Mike Dyer, Vice President Greg Crockett, and Treasurer Bethe Palmer for another term. Finally, MECT recognized the unparalleled contribution of Helen Bethell, former Executive Director and current Land Director, who is stepping down from her role as MECT staff. Helen has dedicated forty years to researching, protecting, and stewarding land on behalf of MECT, a commitment that that we and our communities are fortunate to have enjoyed. Thankfully Helen will continue to build upon her accomplishments in land conservation as a member of MECTs Land Acquisition and Protection Committee.
