By Nancy Tutko
Partnership is central to land conservation efforts on Martha’s Vineyard. This can take many forms, such as acquiring land jointly, as in recent efforts by Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and the
Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission maps and keeps track of all new acquisitions and trails. The Martha’s Vineyard Conservation Partnership is now in its third decade of strategizing how best to protect the island’s remaining undeveloped land, and the All-Island Trails Committee, comprised of land managers for the island’s conservation groups, meets quarterly to share information, issues, and solutions.
The TrailsMV mobile app exemplifies the spirit of these collaborations in a variety of ways, and a tour of the app highlights these working partnerships. First and foremost, the app includes all properties and trails open to the public through the conservation groups, the six island towns, the county, and the state. Check out the Conservation Partners page for details about each of these entities. The app also features events and activities sponsored by these groups in its Events listings, and shares details about conservation projects in its Articles section. TrailsMV, provided by Sheriff’s Meadow as a free community resource, is available for download at the App Store and Google Play.
The TrailsMV Instagram account supports the work of its conservation partners too. Whether promoting a guided walk or talk, photographing the island’s rich diversity of conservation
properties, or sharing a new project, @TrailsMV on Instagram is a great way to stay in tune with what’s going on with conservation efforts across the island landscape.