Transforming A Legacy Campaign Update Given at Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Annual Meeting

May 4, 2018

There are only 12 fully certified Living Building ChallengeTM (LBC™) buildings in the entire world! The Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Welcome Center is the only building in the world under construction by students, that is seeking LBCTM certification! How exciting!

On Thursday, April 26th, members of the public attended the Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Annual Meeting at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School (GNB Voc-Tech). The meeting was a perfect opportunity for the community to learn about the transformation occurring at the Lloyd Center which will enhance the Center’s ability to operate and serve our region!

In giving the Executive Director’s Report, Rachel Stronach spoke enthusiastically, “With over five miles of walking trails, the “Bridge-to-Discovery” dock, vernal pools, oak-hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh and estuary, the Lloyd Center’s grounds have expanded from 55 acres to 82 acres with the addition of the “Lloyd Woods” property across the street, generously bequeathed by Karen Lloyd.”

Since its founding, the Lloyd Center has focused its research activities on assessing and documenting the distribution and ecology of the natural resources of southeastern New England. In 2017, the Research Department continued to monitor Piping plovers, conduct moth inventories and winter waterfowl surveys, and completed a two-year survey of rare insects at Camp Edwards.  Research Director Mark Mello, along with a number of experts on moths, continued to work on “Mass Moths”. When completed, “Mass Moths” will be the first comprehensive database of moths of Massachusetts.

With its wide variety of programs, over 2,400 individuals participated in Lloyd Center outreach programs in 2017 alone. Programs such as canoe and kayak trips, hikes, walks, and story times, were designed to engage the minds of all ages to expand an understanding of the fragile nature of our coastal environment and the importance of working together to protect it.

In 2017, the Education Department provided programs to over 13,000 students from 50 different public and private schools in over 30 communities resulting in more than 22,000 contact hours. Since 2006, over 150,000 students have been reached through Lloyd Center education programs. Some of the programs that were taught include Feathery Focus, Turn-the-Tide, Climate Science Learning Project, and Summer Programs for students entering Kindergarten-8th grade. Lloyd Center Educators also taught Graduate and Teacher Professional Development Courses. A big accomplishment for the department was the formation of a new partnership with the Alfred J. Gomes Elementary School in New Bedford.

Stronach went on to discuss the Center’s plans for the future and addressed the challenges the Center faces in serving so many students in limited facilities, upgrading space to accommodate education, research and outreach programs, and increasing program and operating support to help fund these programs.

She talked of the progress that has been made in the Center’s Transforming A Legacy Capital Campaign in reaching the goal of $1.5 million for program support and endowment and $1.5 million for facilities. Currently in Phase 1, the Waterfront Teaching Pavilion, parking lot, and bus drop-off area have been completed. The final piece in Phase 1, construction of the Welcome Center is underway in partnership with the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School.

Phase 2 of the campaign will be the expansion and renovation of the Visitor Center to better serve the Lloyd Center’s mission. There will also be a deep energy retrofit to improve the energy efficiency of the building.

The Lloyd Center was awarded a $225,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council Facilities Fund and has raised over $2.6 million in gifts and pledges, thanks to overwhelming community support.

Rob Gomes, Community Outreach Coordinator / Construction Coordinator from GNB Voc-Tech spoke about the students that are involved in the construction of the Center’s Living Building Challenge™ certified Welcome Center. “There are approximately 300 students involved on a rotating basis in one fashion or another, each working in their area of study. It has been a fascinating experience for the students, one that they will never forget and will take with them for the rest of their lives.” Rob spoke of how this was not only a new experience for the students but for all involved, “we are all learning” he said.

Living Building Challenge™ certification is the building industry’s most ambitious sustainable construction performance standards. The Welcome Center will house a bus drop-off shelter, interior and exterior meeting/teaching space, informational displays and compost-toilets.

The Lloyd Center’s new building will be unique and provide learning opportunities for visitors of all ages to engage in innovative restorative “green building” principles. For additional information about the Living Building Challenge, visit living-future.org.

Also, at the meeting, Lloyd Center Executive Director, Rachel Stronach, and Chair of the Board, Myrna Hall, presented the George G. Haydock Award to Dr. Victor Mailey. The Haydock Award is the Center’s most prestigious award and is presented annually to an individual, selected by the staff and board of directors of the Lloyd Center who, in the spirit and tradition exemplified by long-time Lloyd Center supporter and nature enthusiast, Dr. George G. Haydock, is deemed to have personally made a most outstanding contribution to protecting the fragile nature of our coastal environment.

Victor Mailey is a retired general practitioner of Family Medicine in New Bedford. He attended the Princeton University and received his medical degree from Drexel University, College of Medicine. Dr. Mailey is a strong advocate of environmental education for inner city children in New Bedford. Residing in Dartmouth, he is a long-time, active supporter of the Lloyd Center for the Environment and Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust (DNRT). He is a trail master extraordinaire!

In other news, Jonathan S. Carvalho, Aiden E. FitzGerald, Kinnaird Howland, Esq., Sara H. Johnston, and Nina W. Weeks were welcomed as the newest members of the Lloyd Center’s Board of Directors, each for a three-year term.

Board members whose terms were up this year are Kathryn C. Duff, R.A., Vice-Chair, Morris W. Kellogg, and Mary D. Mandeville. “It is with great sadness we bid farewell to these very dedicated and committed members. In addition to typical board member responsibilities, they have played a major role in the implementation and progress of the Lloyd Center’s Transforming A Legacy Campaign,” commented Chair of the Board Myrna Hall.

Jonathan Carvalho is the public information officer for the City of New Bedford, and previously held the same position for the New Bedford Public Schools after working as a reporter for the Standard-Times. A lifelong area resident, he holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is an alumnus of Dartmouth High School. He serves on the Commonwealth’s Schooner Ernestina Commission and is a member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts, and an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America. Jon lives in New Bedford and enjoys running, kayaking, and reading nonfiction.

Aiden FitzGerald grew up in South Dartmouth and has enjoyed exploring the Lloyd Center’s campus since she was a child. As an undergraduate, she attended the University of New Hampshire and then received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Before moving back to the South Coast, Aiden was a staff writer for The Boston Herald, where she covered arts, entertainment and travel. She has written freelance for The Boston Globe, Rhode Island Monthly and Art New England. Aiden lives in Little Compton with her husband and two young sons, she is grateful for our area’s beautiful nature that she gets to explore with them.

Kinnaird “Kin” Howland, Esq. is a partner at Howland Evangelista Kohlenberg Burnett, LLP in Providence, R.I. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Kin has held various positions on the Lloyd Center’s Board of Directors over the years (1985 – 1996) as an Officer and a Director. He is a member of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and serves as a member of its Audit Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Swan Point Cemetery, where he chairs the Personnel and Long Range Planning Committees and serves as a member of the Audit and Investment Committees. Kin is an active Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estates Counsel, where he serves as a member of the Practice Committee. He is a past Rhode Island State Chair of the college, and a past Rear Commodore of the Cruising Club of America. Residing in South Dartmouth, Kin enjoys sailing and spending time with his children and grandchild.

Sara “Sally” Johnston has been involved with the Lloyd Center for over 18 years; in that time, she has held various positions on the Board of Directors as an Officer and a Director. She is currently a member of the Center’s Finance Committee. Sally holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from M.I.T. and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. Past experience includes working at Environmental Protection Agency (water pollution and Clean Water Act) and Digital Equipment Corporation. Sally volunteers with Dartmouth Schools, Dartmouth Libraries, Massachusetts Audubon Society - Allens Pond Sanctuary, Lloyd Center for the Environment, Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, and New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. She enjoys running, bicycling, cooking, and a daily swim in Buzzard's Bay (in season).

Nina Weeks is a full-time sales associate with Milbury Real Estate. Having grown up on the South Coast and attending schools in Fairhaven and Dartmouth, she is intimately familiar with the area. She attended the University of New Hampshire and prior to pursuing her career in real estate on the South Coast, Nina worked in the marketing field with companies including Reebok, Microsoft, and Dockers. She is actively involved with the Rotch Jones Duff House, Community Boating Center, and Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. Nina is also the Steering Committee Chair for the Lloyd Center’s Clambake XXXIII. Residing in Padanaram Village with her husband Rob and their four children, she enjoys boating and is a member of the New Bedford Yacht Club.

The Lloyd Center invites members of the community to go out to the Center’s Hardscrabble Nature Preserve to see their completed Teaching Pavilion as well as the LBC™ Building in progress. The Center is located at 430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth.