About >> Environmental Service Awards

Clara Yeomans
Urban Conservation Commissioner of the Year

Clara Yeomans is a charter member of the Quincy Conservation Commission and has worked for more than 33 years to protect the coastal waters, salt marshes and inland wetlands in Quincy. Since 1965 she has become a self-taught teacher and naturalist. Clara has led countless tours of the sometimes hidden treasures lying within the urban setting. She tries to make her groups of scouts and schoolchildren aware of the interconnections between people and nature. Quincy Mayor James Sheets and the Quincy Conservation Commission are most appreciative of the important role Clara has played in raising environmental sensitivity in Quincy.

John Pensivy
Rural Conservation Commissioner of the Year

John Pensivy has been a Conservation Commissioner in Stockbridge since the Commission was formed in 1967. An authority on flood plain and river bank erosion control measures, he was among the first to advocate for living bank stabilization. He helped implement the Scenic Mountain Act for Stockbridge, setting a precedent for other towns to follow. His patience, strong sense of fairness and his environmental common sense have been irreplaceable contributions to the work of the Commission and to the long term environmental well being of Stockbridge. John recently celebrated his 86th birthday! Many happy returns!

Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group
Happy Birthday! 25 Years of Environmental Protection

Twenty-five years ago, Ralph Nader and his closest colleagues conceived a network of Public Interest Research Groups staffed by students and young professionals who could advocate for the environment. MASSPIRG was one of the first and is one of the most successful. MASSPIRG played a major role in passing the Massachusetts Bottle Bill, hazardous waste clean up law reform, the Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act, and the Cape Cod land bank billÑall in addition to advocating successfully for rights of consumers, tenants, workers, and whistle-blowers, and supporting budget requests of the state public health, public safety, and environmental agencies. Happy Birthday MASSPIRG for a quarter century of hard work on behalf of the Massachusetts environment!

Andrea Cooper
Regional Resource Protection

Andrea Cooper is currently the North Shore Regional Coordinator for Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management. In every job she has held, she has brought people together to improve the environment. As a member of the Rowley Planning Board, she initiated protective bylaws and regulations for growth management. She created and organized the North Shore Regional Conservation Commissions Network, the Metropolitan Area Conservation Commission Network, and the North Shore Health Boards and Agents Network. At the Mass. Audubon Society, she became a resource on planning and environmental issues. Andrea excels in getting people together so they can make things happen for the environment.

Littleton Friends of Open Space -- Linda Cantillon,
Sarah Foss and Patricia Townley
Land Preservation Advocacy

The Littleton Friends of Open Space is a group of citizen activists who fought to buy and preserve a parcel of over 100 acres of open space including not only wetlands and lake frontage, but also woods, fields and uplands. They persisted through the opposition of local officials and development interests. They negotiated a price with landowners, won approval of town meeting and the ballot vote on a debt exclusion, and secured funds through the state's Self Help program. The Friends attended meetings every Friday night for 18 months to keep the project on track. MACC hopes this group's story will inspire others throughout Massachusetts to preserve their special open spaces.

Charles Roth
Environmental Education Leadership

Charles Roth is a recognized leader in environmental education in Massachusetts. Former Littleton Conservation Commission Chair and Littleton Conservation Trust President, he publishes the Land Trust's newsletter, develops trails on parcels of open space, and is the Trust's expert in identifying and delineating sensitive environmental areas. He recently sponsored a contest for schoolchildren to express through art their most treasured natural spots in town. The former director of Mass. Audubon's Education Department, he is now one of the most dedicated and able environmental educators, advocates and spokespersons in the state. Charles has received numerous environmental awards.

Judith Nicolson
Conservation Administrator of the Year

Judith Nicolson has long served as Executive Director of Wellesley's Natural Resources Commission and, before that, as Conservation Commission Administrator. Due to Judy's efforts, the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission became the state's only elected Conservation Commission a decade ago. She reorganized Wellesley's wetlands, open space and forest agencies, consolidating responsibilities in those departments to make them more responsive. She crafted the bylaw which produced major efficiencies for the town's Natural Resources Commission, including formation of a Wetlands Committee of volunteers. Judy has brought true professionalism and tenacity to her work for the environment. In her retirement year, MACC is pleased to recognize her performance above and beyond the call of duty.

Carl Dierker
Outstanding Public Service

Attorney Carl Dierker has shaped modern wetland water and coastal law for all of us. Most recently, he was Assistant Commissioner at DEP and head of the Bureau of Air, Solid and Hazardous Waste. While DEP Deputy General Counsel, Carl crafted the core concepts of the 1983 Wetlands Protection Act regulations, giving us the Resource Areas, their Presumptions of Significance, and the Performance Standards. He recently left DEP after 20 years to become Acting Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1. Carl thus becomes the most important agency environmental attorney in New England. We congratulate Carl for jobs well done and a new job just begun.

Robert Golledge, Pamela Harvey and Arleen O'Donnell
River and Wetland Protection

Robert Golledge, Pamela Harvey and Arleen O'Donnell, richly deserve this MACC award for the energy and expertise they have long brought to wetlands protection and regulation in general and, specifically, the new DEP regulations promulgated under the Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act. They, among many at DEP, worked the hardest and longest on the policies, procedures, and performance standards built into the new regulations. Each has a long history with wetlands protection and Conservation Commissions. For example, Arleen, currently Assistant Commissioner for Resource Protection at DEP, is a former member of the MACC board of directors; Pam is Wetlands Division Director, and has served in the DEP Legal Office and as a Commissioner; and Bob, presently Chief of Staff at DEP, was the Wetlands Division Director and served as a conservation administrator. We like to work with public servants such as these; we need more of them; and we honor them today.

Joseph Grady
Outstanding Community Service

Joseph Grady in many ways sets the standard for conservation administrators in his job and volunteer efforts. He has a unique ability to balance his understanding of the Conservation Commission's jurisdiction with the realities of the hearing process. He also labors in the field. He organized the annual beach grass planting and fence installation project to stabilize Duxbury Beach. He is Duxbury's representative to the Three Bays Project, assisted Mass. Audubon's efforts to reestablish ospreys in the region, and helped lead the Bluefish River Cleanup. He works to increase protected open space around resource areas. In a pinch, he served as project manager during construction of a sewage disposal system in Snug Harbor.

Congratulations and thanks to Joe for setting an example to conservation officers everywhere.