Thank You, Elise

Posted
Thursday, December 5, 2024 - 03:12 PM
Elise Brown
Elise Brown
Mechanic Street Trails Workday
Mechanic Street Trails Workday
In July, Elise (in front) joined the a work crew that cleared trails at Mechanic Street in Upton.
During her first few weeks on the job, Elise (left) joined volunteers Margo McMahon and Shelley Trucksis in planting native shrubs and wetlands seeds along a stream bank at Gray Conservation Area in Sudbury. The plantings are part of our effort to restore the stream bank and prevent it from eroding.

In early November, SVT said "farewell and good luck" to Elise Brown, our Seasonal Stewardship Field Assistant who had been on the staff since April. Elise spent almost every day of those seven months at one of our properties, where she pulled invasive plants, mowed meadows, restored habitats, and helped to maintain trails for visitors.

In Upton, Elise joined the work crews who are clearing trails at the recently protected Mechanic Street property. In Littleton, she led volunteers as they cleared Asian bittersweet from the wildlife habitats at Smith Conservation Area. In Sudbury, she played a part in restoring a stream bank at the Gray Conservation Area. In Westborough, she led a corporate volunteer group that regraded the trail, trimmed back overgrowth, removed invasives, and picked up trash at our Walkup and Robinson Memorial Conservation Area. 

And all of that was during just her first month on the job!

Throughout her time at SVT, Elise also regularly:

  • Mowed grassy trails at eight properties.
  • Monitored trails and spoke with visitors to share information about SVT and ensure compliance with trails rules.
  • Monitored our smaller properties (61) that do not have trails to ensure that there were no encroachments or other management needs.

Seasonal Stewardship Fields Assistants are indispensable to SVT's ability to expand our staff's capacity to care for our properties. In turn, these Assistants, who are often recent college graduates, gain invaluable experience in caring for natural areas and launching their careers in conservation. 

Elise, for example, held a B.A. in Animal Studies & Environmental Studies and quickly became a valued member of the Stewardship staff.  

Thank you, Elise. We wish you all the best!

Thank you to The Public Lands Fund, a program of Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation, for providing a $10,000 grant that supported Elise's work.