Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust

CONTACT:

PO 7162
Lowell, MA 01852
978-934-0030
www.lowelllandtrust.org

Jane Calvin, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

LP&CT was incorporated in 1990, "to enhance the quality of life for the people of Lowell by improving the health of the urban environment through the preservation of its parks and open spaces." Since then, it has had many successes. The "2000 for 2000" Urban Community Forest Campaign planted 2,000 trees by the year 2000, identifying sites (sometimes negotiating small changes in certain places) planting the trees, and training local businesses as tree stewards in charge of watering, trash-removal and simple maintenance. The program continues and has now more than doubled its original goal. The National Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service recognized this as a model urban forestry project.

LP&CT undertook the "Lowell: the Flowering City" project, an ambitious 25-year program that will develop business/government landscape design projects, to express the beauty of the City's natural and cultural diversity. This project is now being administered by the Lowell Heritage Partnership, although LP&CT still acts as "treasurer and partner."

Programs also include historic preservation, for which they were awarded in 2000 the Massachusetts Preservation Award for saving Spaulding House. Their major project now is the Concord River Greenway, for which they have raised $875,000 for construction. In modest circumstances, this vital organization is setting a fine example of urban environmental protection and enhancement.

(1998: NATURE: Environment: Land, Air, Water, Climate)