The Trustees of Reservations, the nation’s oldest regional land trust and non-profit conservation organization, recently honored retiring Board Member Eugenie Beal at the organization’s annual meeting and dinner held on September 25th at the Boys & Girls Club in Leominster.
Eugenie “Genie†Beal has served on The Trustees of Reservations’ (The Trustees) Board of Directors since 2006. She received The Charles Eliot Award from The Trustees in 2007 in recognition for championing the cause of conservation in Boston for more than 30 years. As chair of the Board of Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN), her leadership was pivotal in crafting the affiliation of BNAN with The Trustees of Reservations. She was the first chairwoman of the Boston Conservation Commission in the 1970s, founding Director of the Boston Environment Department, Special Assistant to the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs, and a founder of Boston Natural Areas Fund (now BNAN) in 1977. Under Ms. Beal’s leadership, the mission of BNAN also embraced community gardens and greenways and became one of the leading urban open space organizations in the country. She was also founder of both the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and the Arboretum Park Conservancy and served as chairwoman of the Common Committee for the Friends of the Public Garden. The American Society of Landscape Architects also honored Beal’s extensive dedication and contributions to the Boston landscape at their centennial in 1999.
The Garden Club of the Back Bay sends its congratulations to Ms. Beal, who is a shining example of the power of the individual volunteer. The terrific photo below is by Peter Vanderwarker.
