ATTLEBORO - Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary Director Sarah Slack will speak tonight at the annual meeting of the Attleboro Land Trust, where she will discuss the previously announced plans to preserve 110 acres of open space on the LaSalette Shrine property on Park Street, which is now referred to as the Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary at LaSalette.

The Attleboro Land Trust and the Massachusetts Audubon Society have formed a new partnership to manage and oversee the new sanctuary, and Slack has recently been named land conservation director of the Attleboro Land Trust, a new position that she will hold in addition to her Audubon directorship.

Slack said that Audubon's partnership with the Attleboro Land Trust will lend expertise "to ramp up land protection in Attleboro."

"While the Land Trust has well-established ties and a significant presence in the city, and has secured many properties for protection, the land protection division of Mass. Audubon is in a better position to carry out the conservation process while ensuring community access," she said.

Funding for this project, which was initiated by the community of LaSalette, will come from a state Self Help grant to the city and private fundraising, which will enable the city and the land trust to purchase a conservation restriction on the property from LaSalette.

LaSalette, in turn, will transfer proceeds from the sale of the restriction to Massachusetts Audubon to use for capital improvements such as boardwalks, signs and trails and long-term maintenance. In effect, LaSalette will continue to own the land, although the shrine will give up development rights on this portion of their property, while Mass. Audubon will take care of it through a formal stewardship easement.

In addition, the Attleboro Land Trust will oversee the conservation, which will continue in perpetuity regardless of who owns the property in the future.

The site is designated by the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program as important to preservation of biodiversity in Massachusetts.

It is home to wild turkeys and a wide variety of other resident birds as well as host to many migratory bird species.

Mammal species include white-tailed deer and fisher.

Slack described the landscape as "mature upland oak and pine forests, extensive maple swamps, a meadow, a pond, vernal pools, streams and the spring."

It is part of nearly 600 acres of contiguous forest habitat just one mile from the center of Attleboro.

Donna Kendall can be reached at 508-222-1617 or at donnakendall@verizon.net.