Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT) has welcomed Jane Maloney as its new Land Steward. Ms. Maloney will play an integral role in the organization’s efforts to control invasive plants on its properties and to maintain hiking trails for public use. 

SVT is a nonprofit land trust that protects natural areas and farmland in the region around the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers. The organization, which has 2,900 members, has helped to protect more than 8,500 acres of land since its founding in 1953, and it has a goal of protecting 12,000 more by 2050.

A native of New Jersey who now lives in Watertown, Ms. Maloney holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. She has previously worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Boston, where her responsibilities included managing volunteers who maintain hiking trails, and for the Umpqua Watersheds in Roseburg, Oregon, where she worked on conservation-themed educational programs for children and families.

“We are delighted to welcome Jane to the SVT staff,” said Laura Mattei, SVT Director of Stewardship. “Her extensive experience in trail work and managing volunteers along with her knowledge of biology and natural history make her a valuable addition to our team.” 

Added Ms. Maloney, “I’m excited to join the dedicated team of staff and volunteers at SVT. I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone to protect all the beautiful and ecologically significant properties that SVT manages.”

At SVT, Ms. Maloney will work with the dozens of volunteers who help the organization care for its lands. To improve the ecological conditions of local conservation lands, she will recruit and train groups of volunteers to remove non-native invasive plants such as glossy buckthorn from SVT properties. In addition, she will work with volunteer preserve stewards to maintain the 65 miles of hiking trails that SVT manages for public enjoyment.

Lisa Vernegaard, SVT Executive Director, explained, “In the past five years alone, SVT has conserved more than 1,100 acres on 27 properties, bringing the number of properties under our care to 187. We are thrilled with this success, but it has greatly increased the workload for our Stewardship staff, who are responsible for the care of these important lands. Thanks to the generous financial support of our members, we were able to hire Jane so we can continue to take first-class care of our properties.”

Ms. Maloney will be based out of SVT’s headquarters in Sudbury.