Elaine Beals was among the founding members of the Southborough Open Land Foundation. She served on the Board of Trustees of SOLF, including holding the position of treasurer for many years. She was dedicated to the preservation of the environment and open space, reinforcing her conservation ethic as a member of the Town of Southborough’s Open Space Preservation Commission. In the 1950s and 60s, Elaine and her husband Philip purchased 190 acres of land abutting their farm to protect it from development. All of that land is now under permanent conservation restrictions. Fifty-six acres of it was gifted to SOLF in 2009, property that is now known as the Elaine and Philip Beals Preserve.  In her honor, SOLF presents the Elaine Beals Conservation Award each year to a local resident who has shown outstanding leadership in environmental conservation. The first Elaine Beals Award was presented to Elaine on the occasion of her retirement from the Board of Trustees of SOLF.

Jim Gorss, a founding member and longtime Chair of the Stewardship Committee, is being honored for his contributions to our town by the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF) with the 2022 Elaine Beals Conservation Award.

Before relocating to Harvard, Jim served on the Stewardship Committee while living and raising his family in Southborough. Throughout his tenure on Stewardship he demonstrated his love for the land and commitment to conservation values. For example, he created and maintained a popular trail system at Breakneck Hill, introducing many to the joys of being outside. He advised many Scouts on their Eagle Scout projects there as well and tended to the property with eagle eyes for both the welcome native plant species as well as new invasive species threats.

SOLF is very pleased to have this opportunity to present the 2021 Elaine Beals Conservation Award to Lisa Braccio. For a long time Lisa has worked hard at giving back to the town and the region. To be very honest, several of us thought we had given this award to Lisa years ago and were surprised in checking our records to discover she had somehow been overlooked. We all know Lisa today as a member of the town select board, but she got her start in town politics on the Open Space Preservation Commission because of her dedication to protecting open space and the environment. She worked on helping with the preservation of Chestnut Hill Farm and the Golf Course. In 2017, she was first elected to the select board where she continues to serve. She was recently chosen as the Worcester District Representative on the Massachusetts Select Board Association, representing the select boards of 55 towns in the county. In addition, Lisa serves on the town Master Plan Committee and the Capital Planning Committee. She, along with Debbie Wilson, spearheaded several troop drives to send care packages to members of the American armed forces deployed to combat areas. And while doing all these things she has helped her husband Matt run his business, Perhaps her most important role has been raising their son Robert. Lisa is definitely like the energizer bunny.

We are very happy to present her with the 2021 Elaine Beals Conservation  Award.

Kat McKee is the Chair of the Town of Southborough Trails Committee. After moving to town in 2012, she joined the Stewardship Committee as well as Southborough Trails. As an avid hiker living near the Town Forest, she plunged into clearing trails after a microburst brought down many trees. She also worked with the Stewardship Committee and Recreation Dept to get the trails fully cleared.

In talking with Kat, a common thread is how reaching out and collaborating with other groups is often the best way to get things done. An astonishing collaboration is the tremendous progress made on the BLT: the Borough’s Loop Trail: 33 miles of trails that will connect Marlborough, Southborough, Westborough, and Northborough with a hiking loop. The concept began in 2012 and with ongoing strong leadership and passion, Kat has helped keep the momentum going. More trails in more areas improves the quality of life for the people of Southborough.

Beth Rosenblum was the Conservation Agent for the town of Southborough for over 13 years – now retired. Her door at the Town House was always open for anyone seeking information about conservation issues and open space. She was always eager to help. Her involvement in her home town of Ashland as Chair of its Open Space and Recreation Committee and the Community Preservation Committee brought tremendous knowledge to her job here in Southborough.

Beth consistently worked well with and collaborated with the Open Space Preservation Commission and the Southborough Open Land Foundation. She oversaw the Conservation Restriction process for Chestnut Hill Farm and collaborated with the stewardship committee on the Breakneck Hill Conservation Land Management Plan. Just to name a few…

Upon her retirement she received recognition on local, regional and state levels! She was a most knowledgeable, helpful and valuable town employee! We are happy to present this year’s Elaine Beals Conservation Award to Beth Rosenblum.