The Conservancy

About Us
Our Mission
More Information

About Us

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy brings people together to renew, enliven and advocate for the Emerald Necklace park system. Stretching from the Back Bay to Dorchester, this historic park serves as the front and back yard for city dwellers and a destination for more than 1 million visitors and residents each year. Conservancy volunteers and program participants “give back” over 20,000 hours annually on projects dedicated to park restoration and maintenance; events for families, youth, residents and volunteers; public education; constituency-building and park advocacy. Focusing its work in the six Emerald Necklace parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the Conservancy collaborates with the City of Boston, Town of Brookline, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the many park partners committed to keeping our parks healthy and accessible for all.

Our Mission

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy was created to protect, restore, maintain and promote the landscape, waterways and parkways of the Emerald Necklace park system as special places for people to visit and enjoy.

The Conservancy's programs and funding support and complement initiatives by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, City of Boston and Town of Brookline who began the Necklace's restoration in the 1980s.

Our programs focus on:

parks restoration and maintenance
public education including presentations, exhibits and publications
constituency-building and park advocacy
volunteer and other activities which promote parks stewardship
improvement of public access to and through the park system, among other activities.

A public-private partnership, the Conservancy was formed in 1996 and incorporated in 1998 as a non-profit organization. Our organization brings together government, business, residential and institutional representatives, community leaders and organizations, and environmental and park advocates in support of the Olmsted legacy. President Julie Crockford and the staff work closely with the Board of Directors, the Park Overseers (representing all of the parks and friends groups within the Emerald Necklace), the Stewardship Council, and hundreds of volunteers to accomplish our mission.

Join us in the continued renewal of an historic landscape, and an environmental and cultural treasure that is: