Leaving a Legacy

On a sunny Saturday afternoon with the stunning backdrop of Apex Orchards, hundreds of our land trust friends and partners celebrated the land conservation legacy of our recently retired Executive Director, Rich Hubbard.

Along with speeches by Board President, Paul Cooper; Former State Representative Stephen Kulik; Cris Coffin from American Farmland Trust; and Pioneer Gardens’ Jaap Molenaar – Rich was presented with a State Citation for his efforts of “Conserving Land across the Commonwealth” by Representative Natalie Blais as well as a Governor’s Award for his legacy of conservation work presented by Cris Chisholm of MassWildlife.

The FLT Board presented Rich with a gorgeous watercolor painting by Nina Coler depicting the iconic view from atop Mount Sugarloaf. His former staff presented him with a framed map highlighting the 32,000 acres of land that Rich has helped to conserve. The day was capped by a surprise congratulatory video from “across the pond” by former Executive Director Mark Zenick.

To help us continue Rich’s legacy, please consider a general gift in honor of Rich and his many years conserving the farms, forests, wild lands and waterways of western Massachusetts or a gift specific to the fund created in his honor – The Richard K. Hubbard Farmland Fund.

Thank you to FLT friend and photographer Art Schwenger for the photos from that day!