Steve Correia, SVT Board President and Dana Baxter, SVT Assistant Director of Development award John and Molly Beard the Lifetime Achievement Award – photo from the Sudbury Valley Trustees
John and Molly Beard of Wayland were honored on October 7 with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT) for their decades-long dedication to land conservation and environmental stewardship.
Steve Correia, the new president of the SVT Board of Directors, presented the award during the organization’s Annual Meeting, praising the couple’s deep commitment to protecting open spaces across the region.
“Through their donations, purchases, and volunteered time,” Correia said, “the Beards have helped protect hundreds of acres of land in the region and are known for their conservation generosity from Maine to the coast of Dartmouth.”
The Beards’ work in conservation dates back more than 50 years. In 1974, they donated a 5-acre parcel off Hazelbrook Lane to SVT, which became part of the Hazel Brook Conservation Area. Forty years later, they placed a conservation restriction on another 10 acres of their property, ensuring it would remain undeveloped in perpetuity. The trails across the land are now open to the public and connect to both the Hazel Brook Conservation Area and the adjacent Weston Ogilvie Town Forest.
Beyond their own property, the Beards have played a vital role in land protection efforts throughout Wayland. Both have served on or collaborated with numerous town boards and committees, including the Conservation Commission, helping to craft and support Town Meeting articles that preserved key parcels across the community.
Their influence has also extended far beyond Wayland. Over the years, the Beards have served on multiple SVT committees and on the organization’s board of directors, where they have contributed legal, financial, and organizational expertise that strengthened the nonprofit’s capacity to protect natural areas across 36 towns in the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord River watersheds.
Correia noted that the couple’s passion for conservation is rooted in their concern for future generations.
“John will tell you that nothing makes them happier than ‘letting kids of the current generation—and definitely into the future—do the stuff that we loved to do when we were kids,’” Correia said. “And Molly has said, ‘What we’re doing at SVT and elsewhere is vital. It teaches others about the value of land, and open land in particular.’”
The Beards, now great-grandparents, remain active supporters of SVT’s mission to conserve natural spaces and wildlife habitats for the benefit of generations to come.
