Liam Cregan is thrilled to join Franklin Land Trust as our new Land Conservation Specialist, where he will be working with landowners, municipalities, and other conservation groups to continue permanently conserving the vital cultural, natural, and aesthetic heritage of the region.
Liam grew up in eastern Massachusetts, where he witnessed steady conversion of forests into farmland for Boston-and-back commuter homes on the frontier of suburbia. When he moved west to attend the University of Massachusetts, he slowly began to observe similar patterns, first along the Route 9 corridor and then in other microregions as he widened his lens on the area. At the same time, he fell in love with the working-yet-wild landscape of the Valley and Hilltowns by walking and running trails, cycling rail trails and backroads, joining a CSA, and swimming in the cold-water streams and ponds, all of which this area is so lucky to have in abundance.
When Liam made the connection between the community-minded organizations such as FLT, which have been integral in conserving the distinct landscape and culture of this slice of Massachusetts, it became one of his dreams to be on the frontlines of permanently conserving land. He has spent the past few years gaining enough experience to do so, first completing an M.S. in Sustainability Science at UMass (where he worked with FLT to inventory farmland in their region), then working with Kestrel Land Trust as Land Stewardship Coordinator, and most recently working with Appalachian Mountain Club as New England National Scenic Trail Planner.
He is so excited to meet the Franklin Land Trust community and to dedicate his professional life to the conservation of the culture and landscape of the region.