Sarah Newkirk Awarded Mary C. Wilson Community Conservation Award at Seekonk Land Trust Annual Meeting

On April 16, 2024 the Seekonk Land Conservation Trust (SLCT) held its Annual Meeting at the Seekonk Public Library. The event was well attended by over 35 people who attentively listened as Tom Webb, SLCT president, presented a short slide show detailing the history and gave an annual update of Land Trust properties in Seekonk. Of particular note he cited that the SLCT now has 875 acres of protected land including 330 acres owned by the Land Trust and 348 acres in Conservation Restrictions which remain privately owned but are protected from development. The balance of 108 acres is comprised of farmlands protected by Agricultural Preservation Restrictions.

Sarah Newkirk, the founding director of Osamequin Farm, was awarded the annual Mary C. Wilson Award for her significant contributions to conservation in Seekonk. Osamequin Farm, located on Walnut Street, is a community space and educational nonprofit stewarding several hundred acres of conserved farmland, forest, and wetlands. Under Sarah’s guidance, Osamequin has transitioned from a private to a public space, and additionally facilitates peer to peer learning among farmers of all kinds in our region. Sarah has an interest in food ethics and a background in agriculture having worked as a vegetable farmer and an organizer with the Young Farmer Network.

In accepting the award, Sarah noted that her time at Osamequin has broadened the scope of her interest in responsible stewardship of the land. She loves finding new ways to interest all kinds of people, of all ages from all backgrounds in deepening their relationship to the land, thinking about how their actions big and small can make a difference, and appreciating how special it is to have access to open space!

In his award presentation Webb stated “What a wonderful way to honor the work of Sarah and the Osamequin community bringing like minded people together to promote and participate in community conservation initiatives.”