Conservationists Honored at SVT Annual Meeting

On the evening of October 6, 2026, SVT was pleased to welcome members, supporters, and friends to the Framingham Village Hall, where we celebrated another year of conservation at our 73rd Annual Meeting.

During the meeting, we elected Members and Officers of the Board of Directors, and Executive Director Davnet Conway (pictured) provided a mid-point review of the FY24 to FY29 Strategic Plan.

The evening concluded with the presentation of our Annual Conservation Awards, which recognize SVT volunteers, regional conservationists, public officials, and others who care for the environment and strive to increase access to nature. We were pleased to present the following awards:

Youth Stewardship Award

The Youth Stewardship Award recognizes exceptional service by youths in support of SVT’s conservation efforts in the region. This year SVT recognized Sherry Ye.

Sherry is a high school student at Westford Academy. She started volunteering with Westford Conservation Trust manually removing invasive plants before joining SVT and SuAsCo CISMA to create educational material on invasive plant removal. Sherry started working with me last year to create a series of invasive ID cards that volunteers can use in the field to learn how to identify invasive species. Her directions were to create a pocket-sized card, one side with high quality photos and the other side with a written description of how to id the plant, manual removal techniques and look-a-likes. Using information from the CISMA website and her creativity we now have 28 cards that are being used throughout our region and beyond.

After the first publication she has continued to create new cards, revise language for the CISMA website and manually remove invasives at our Smith Conservation Land.

Outside of school, she is a competitive swimmer, creates art and enjoys spending time outdoors. Her love of outdoors and art has been a passion for as long as she can remember. She aims to combine her interests of art, science, and environmental action to encourage and inspire her community to care for nature.

She is a leader of her school’s Environmental Club and National Art Honor Society, and is an active member of Bow Seat's International Future Blue Youth Council and a NOAA Youth Ambassador. She organized a local contest called Young Voices of Nature and illustrating the children's book Everyone Deserves Clean Air with the non-profit organization The Clean & Green Initiative.

Steward of the Land

SVT named Ruth Ladd our 2026 Steward of the Land for her efforts to improves the visitor experience at SVT properties. Ruth was unable to attend the Annual Meeting, and her son, Aaron Ladd, was honored to accept the award on her behalf.

Ruth has been volunteering with SVT’s Stewardship team since 2021 when she joined one of our earliest Weed Warrior events at Gowing’s Swamp in Concord.  Since then, she has gone out on her own or with her family and friends to manually remove glossy buckthorn and other invasive species near and around Thoreau’s bog. Her consistent and productive presence has allowed staff to redirect our time to other priorities.

Ruth attended Connecticut College for her B.A. in Zoology and UMass-Lowell for her M.S. in Environmental Science and has a Certificate in Native Plant Studies from the New England Wild Flower Society (now Native Plant Trust).

Before SVT, Ruth was the Wetland Mitigation Program Manager for the Regulatory Division of the New England District Corps of Engineers from 1991 to 2019. As such, she was the Third Party Mitigation Program Manager working in five states. She also played a lead role in the development of an innovative Special Area Management Plan for vernal pools in Maine. Ruth served as a technical resource for permitting and enforcement project managers, the Environmental Protection Agency and state agency staff.  She also helped develop guidance related to mitigation for Regulatory staff and the regulated public.  For half of her career with the Corps, Ruth was also the Chief of the Policy and Technical Support Branch.  She managed a diverse group of scientists and administrative staff who served as ‘consultants’ to the project managers processing permits and handling enforcement in the Regulatory Division.

In her "spare" retirement time in addition to Weed Warrior work, Ruth is a puppy raiser for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, has a therapy dog that visits schools and is read to by kids at the library, serves on Lexington's Conservation Commission, is editor for the Citizens of Lexington Conservation newsletter, and enjoys her and her husband's four kids and six grandkids. We are extremely grateful for all the hard work she has done to protect the native plants and habitat quality at Gowing's Swamp and it has been truly a pleasure to work with Ruth. 

Distinguished Public Service

SVT awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award to Dr. Martin Feehan whose environmental leadership has tangibly advanced the work SVT does every day — protecting land and water, restoring wildlife habitat, and opening the outdoors to everyone.

Dr. Martin Feehan is the deer and moose biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, where he has overseen the management, regulation, and research of cervids (aka the deer family) across the Commonwealth for over five years. In this role, he has modernized Massachusetts deer hunting regulations to help local communities mitigate the ecological, economic, and human-health impacts of overabundant deer. As part of these efforts, he has spearheaded the development and expansion of MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest venison donation program. While creating a vital outlet for additional deer harvest, the program has distributed over 100,000 meals since its inception in November 2022. There are processing facilities throughout the state providing locations for hunters to easily donate venison. Donated venison goes to food pantries and Indigenous groups throughout the state. I’m thrilled to say many of SVT’s hunters donate venison. 

Dr. Feehan earned his bachelor's degree in evolutionary biology and wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, along with an environmental studies certificate from the Nelson Institute. He received his doctorate from Cornell University. His research, was driven by conservation efforts to reduce the impacts of overabundant deer on critical tree-roosting habitat for several threatened and endangered bat species.

Growing up in the city of Milwaukee with a deep love for nature, Dr. Feehan developed a passion for ecosystem conservation and taking aggressive action when necessary to promote biodiversity. For nearly 15 years, his work has centered on big game management at the human-wildlife interface in urban and suburban communities across multiple states and countries. In addition to extensive research and publication activities, he is leading the development of a state wildlife health program through the USFWS Zoonotic Disease Initiative. He currently chairs the Northeast Wildlife Health Committee for the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and serves as a co-investigator for the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases (NEWVEC), focusing on deer-targeted strategies to reduce tick abundance and tick-borne diseases. He spends his free time enjoying his home on Upper Massapoag Lake in Dunstable and photographing wildlife.

Trailblazer for Inclusion in the Outdoors

This award recognizes those who have made a profound impact encouraging and expanding inclusion in the outdoors. The Board of Directors established this award in 2024 to honor an individual or organization who demonstrates exceptional leadership in creating opportunities and environments for people of all backgrounds to enjoy the beauty of nature and reap its many benefits.

SVT’s 2026 Trailblazer for Inclusion in the Outdoors Award is awarded to Waypoint Adventure. Based in Lexington Massachusetts, Waypoint Adventure uses quality experiential and adventure-based education programs with modern educational methods to transform the lives of individuals with disabilities. They work with K-12 school groups, social service organizations, families, and individuals to offer custom designed adventures that meet the goals and objectives of that group or individual.

Waypoint welcomes and encourages people with disabilities to discover their purpose, talents, and strengths. Through tailored adventures like hiking, cycling, rock climbing, ropes courses, kayaking, backpacking, and more, Waypoint creates the setting for real challenges to be faced, a welcoming community where everyone belongs, and personal growth to occur.

Waypoint was founded in 2010 by Dan Minnich and Adam Combs, who saw a world where people with disabilities were excluded from the adventure education opportunities that they personally loved and that had so profoundly shaped their lives. In 2011, among other millstones, Waypoint began a partnership with Boston Public Schools. Now in its 15th year, 40% of their programming is with special education classrooms in K-12 schools, and Waypoint now runs an average of 350 programs serving 2,500 participants annually.

Lewis Conservation Award

Named in recognition of SVT co-founder George Lewis, this award honors those who toil in our local environmental vineyards and encourage others to do the same.

The recipient of the 2026 Lewis Conservation Award is AJ Moses of Berlin, MA. Since moving to Massachusetts in 2018 AJ has volunteered with Mass Audubon, The Massachusetts Sierra Club, and of course, with SVT. In 2019, AJ Moses joined the Berlin Conservation Commission, where he is now the Chairperson.

SVT and the Town of Berlin have partnered a lot on conservation projects over recent years and AJ has been an active force for both partners. AJ is a Master Gardener, and has used his love and knowledge of plants to help in efforts to control invasive species on conservation lands in town (and beyond) through the Weed Warrior program. If you visit Mount Pisgah, you’ll see his efforts around the newest parking area at the complex, where he has worked hard to clean up the fields on the newly protected Horseshoe Pond property. He has also volunteered on a variety of trails and property stewardship tasks, from building new trails at Forty Caves and Highland Ridge Woods, to installing signs at a variety of properties. AJ has also worked tirelessly to help monitor and enforce motorized vehicle prohibitions on conservation lands, using remote cameras and communicating with law enforcement. An avid woodworker, AJ has also built, installed, and monitored wood duck boxes in wetlands of the protected spaces he helps care for.

AJ is an enthusiastic naturalist, and has shared his love of nature and birds on walks that he leads in an effort to connect with the community and broaden local support of conservation. When AJ isn’t helping local
conservation, he enjoys biking, hiking, and traveling with his wife Ann. SVT thanks AJ Moses for his commitment to caring for our local conservation lands.

Morgan Volunteer of the Year

This year, SVT presented the 2026 Morgan Volunteer Award to Diana Cebra.

Diana brings a lifelong love of botany to her volunteer work with Sudbury Valley Trustees. Though she holds a degree from the Indiana University School of Nursing and had a career in oncology research, her heart has always belonged to nature and community. Diana’s passion for horticulture and gardening eventually led her to complete the Massachusetts Master Gardener program in 2017, where she lent her talents to volunteering at historic New England properties, including the Codman House in Lincoln and the Lyman Estate in Waltham.

As an active resident of Sudbury for the past 33 years, Diana has enjoyed being able to give back to her local community in any way she can. She served on the Sudbury Historical Commission for 12 years, preserving local history through events and initiatives and docenting at the Hosmer House. Diana also served as a board member for the Sudbury Historical Society. Additionally, Diana is a dedicated, long-time member of both the Sudbury Garden Club and the League of Women Voters.

Diana’s connection to Sudbury Valley Trustees began in 2015 when longtime friend and neighbor, Bruce Osterling, introduced her to Wolbach Farm. She immediately became interested in its 1930s Olmsted-designed gardens. Alongside fellow gardener Shelly Trucksis, Diana played a pivotal role in establishing Wolbach Farm as a Massachusetts Master Gardener Association Project Garden, focusing on transforming the Founder’s Garden with an emphasis on native plants to inspire and educate visitors to integrate them into their own landscape.

They have taken on maintenance of additional garden areas at Wolbach Farm, which has been absolutely critical to SVT as we move towards making Wolbach more of a destination.  

Diana brings her warm smile and sunny personality to all of her endeavors. SVT thanks Diana for her service to SVT at Wolbach Farm.

Lifetime Achievement

This award recognizes an individual or couple who have made a significant contribution to conservation efforts over an extended period of time.

It is with tremendous pleasure and genuine gratitude that the Board of Trustees recognized Colin Anderson with SVT's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Few people can truly say that they have devoted a lifetime to an organization, but in many ways, that is exactly what Colin has done for Sudbury Valley Trustees. For decades, he has been a steadfast presence and an essential part of our organization’s success—a trusted advisor, a thoughtful leader, and, in so many respects, our financial backbone.

Colin’s extraordinary expertise in finance, investments, and business has been invaluable to SVT. His guidance and leadership have played an important role in the success of numerous fundraising campaigns, and he has generously lent his time and talents to virtually every aspect of our financial and organizational development.

Over the years, Colin has served on—and often led—some of our most important committees, including the Major Giving Committee, the Finance and Investment Committees, and the Executive Committee. He has given an extraordinary 20 years of service to the Board of Trustees, including four years as Board President.

His breadth of business experience and sound judgment have been particularly valuable during times of transition and growth. Whether helping us welcome new Treasurers and Executive Directors, advising on important financial decisions, or helping chart new strategic directions, Colin has consistently brought wisdom, perspective, and a steady hand to the table.
But while we recognize Colin’s remarkable contributions and commitment to SVT, I think it is equally important to recognize the person behind them.
Colin is simply a great guy. His generosity, good humor, and wonderfully positive attitude have made working alongside him not only productive, but genuinely enjoyable. He has a remarkable ability to bring perspective and a smile to even the most challenging conversations, and that is a gift in itself.
Colin, you have been an extraordinary friend to Sudbury Valley Trustees. Your commitment, your wisdom, your generosity, and your friendship have left a lasting mark on this organization and on all of us who have had the privilege of working with you.

Thank you, Colin for your many years of service to SVT.

And thank you to everyone who made our 2026 Annual Meeting a success!