SUNDERLAND – Nancy Pick first met Curt Griffin about a decade ago, when she “tried out” for the Conservation Commission.

“That was when I realized Sunderland residents have charming Texas accents,” Pick said.

Griffin’s Texas accent and generous heart guided the town’s conservation efforts for the last 30 years. According to the new chair of the Conservation Commission, Jennifer Unkles, Griffin is responsible for preserving the natural greenery in much of Sunderland.

“He’s the major advocate, and one of the main reasons we have so much land in APR (Agriculture Preservation Restriction),” Unkles said. “The town has over 2,000 acres in APR.”

Unkles recalled that at almost every Town Meeting, for years, Griffin, also a professor at UMass Amherst, would advocate for protections for agricultural land. So close to a population center, that acreage could have disappeared into condominium developments and luxury homes. Instead, Griffin smoothed Sunderland’s transition from agrarian to suburban, with the aim of preserving the ecological wealth around Mount Toby.

“We had big land coming out of tobacco production, and those acres have gone into APR now, for other products,” Unkles said. Griffin campaigned for land and wetlands protections, wildlife management, and the clean up of polluted streams. “He cleaned them out, and a couple of his students did surveys of that.”

Griffin’s teaching at UMass prepared future conservationists for the hard work ahead. Unkles talked about the many graduate students who came to Sunderland with academic projects to complete. Griffin supervised their work for the town updating records, certifying vernal pools, and other tasks.

“Curt was incredibly helpful with a project I personally cared a lot about: improving the town boat ramp,” Pick said. “What appeared to be a simple fix turned out to be very complicated – but in the end, we got the work done. Now the boat ramp has become a popular destination for paddlers far and wide.”

Griffin, who looks like a college professor to Pick – sans the tweed jacket – carried out ConCom business with a steady and respectful courtesy. His work shaped conservation policy for the Commonwealth as a whole, a suggestion of the far flung impact of his labors.

“Curt was always extremely even-handed, friendly and patient whenever anyone came before the committee,” Pick said. “Although he was encyclopedic about state wetlands regulations, and actually helped draft many of them, he always looked for flexible and reasonable solutions to environmental challenges.”

Unkles agreed. “He’s very easy to talk with and very approachable for applicants with projects. He would explain things very clearly, and he was very fair in our process, easygoing and friendly.”

Griffin could not be reached for comment – but readers of Sunderland’s annual town report may hear his Texas twang. In the section devoted to the Conservation Commission he begins and ends with gratitude and generosity: “We are truly blessed to have so many outstanding natural resources in town ... Please join us in helping to conserve these natural wonders we call home.”

Unkles and Pick, now leading the conservation efforts in Sunderland, gush about Griffin and his preservation of Sunderland’s natural gifts.

“Every Sunderland resident owes Curt a note of heartfelt thanks,” Pick said. “Curt truly made Sunderland a better place to live, both for us homo sapiens and for countless other species too.”

Unkles voiced the poignancy of her feelings for Griffin. “We miss him dearly on the Conservation Commission.”