Conservation Outlook 2020

Annual David H. Smith Memorial Lecture

Conservation Outlook 2020: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

In our 20th year as a public Arboretum, we celebrate the history of this special landscape, and look ahead to the future. We are pleased to host Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) Executive Director Brendan O’Neill, who will reflect on decades of conservation successes and setbacks on Martha’s Vineyard, and speak to conservation prospects in the next half-century. VCS, the Island’s environmental advocacy organization, works to preserve the environment, character, and quality of life of on Martha’s Vineyard. During more than 50 years of conservation work, VCS has helped preserve some of the island’s most beautiful places—including Polly Hill’s arboretum.

Brendan is an attorney who has received recognition for his work from colleague organizations, served on the board of the Great Pond Foundation, and the Board of Environmental Management overseeing our state forests and parks. He received the Nicholas A. Robinson Environmental Award – established to recognize significant contributions in public service in the environmental field – for his years of commitment to “placed-based” environment work on Martha’s Vineyard. He shared the honor with another laureate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Brendan received his Juris Doctor degree from Pace University School of Law in New York, Environmental Law certification from the Pace Center for Environmental Legal Studies, and an undergraduate degree in neurosciences from Williams College, with a co-major program from the Williams Center for Environmental Studies. He lives in West Tisbury with his wife, oral historian Linsey Lee, and their 13-year-old daughter Mya.