Connecticut Land Conservation Conference

March 25, 2023, Wesleyan University, Middletown

Usdan Center, 45 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown.

Rick Newton

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Presenters

2023 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference

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Keynote Speaker

Anne-Sophie Pagé

BVSc, Environmental Activist

Coping with Green Angst: A Young Kaitiaki’s Call to Action

Like all of us struggling to cope with the interrelated global climate and biodiversity crises, Anne-Sophie Pagé, a young environmentalist and veterinarian, is consumed by angst over the fate of our planet.

Embracing her Kaitiakitanga philosophy (environmental guardianship) of the indigenous Mãori people of her native New Zealand, Anne-Sophie will share her hopes for the future through the lens of her global wildlife research. From Antarctica to Africa, the coastline of Patagonia and the expansive Pacific Ocean, Anne-Sophie will highlight the critical role of land conservation and other nature-based solutions in saving the planet, and inspire us to take action now for the benefit of her generation and beyond.

Andy Fisk on a boat

Special Guest Presenter

Andy Fisk

Bureau Chief, Natural Resources
CT DEEP

Andy began working for the CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection in October 2022. He has worked in public service throughout New England since 1997 after receiving his graduate degrees from Rutgers University in land use planning, public policy, and environmental science. He worked for the State of Maine for 13 years at the Land Use Regulation Commission and the Departments of Marine Resources and Environmental Protection. His last position was running the Bureau of Land & Water Quality. He has chaired the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and the national Association of Clean Water Agencies and testified twice in Congress during his tenure in Maine. He was board member and Chair of the regional Kennebec Land Trust when they hired their first paid staff and initiated the now long-running Kennebec Woodlands Partnership.

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Keith Ainsworth

Managing Member
Law Offices of Keith R. Ainsworth, Esq., LLC
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David Allen

Principal Consultant
Development for Conservation
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Judy Anderson

Principal/Founder
Community Consultants
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Ann Astarita

Executive Director
Roxbury Land Trust
Robert Beach headshot

Robert Beach

President
Joshua’s Trust
David Beers headshot

David Beers

Western Connecticut Service Forester
CT DEEP Forestry
Sean Bennett headshot

Sean Bennett

Senior Sales Director
Decian, Inc.
David Bingham headshot

David Bingham

Vice-President
Salem Land Trust
Katie Blake headshot

Katie Blake

Conservation Biologist
Highstead
Amanda Branson headshot

Amanda Branson

Director of Operations and Finance
Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy
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Jim Brinton

First Selectman
Town of Washington
Mike Callahan bio photo

Mike Callahan

President
Beaver Institute, Inc.
Christopher Cane headshot

Christopher Cane

Graduate Student
UConn Department of Natural Resources & the Environment
Alex Cardoso headshot

Alex Cardoso

Student Board Member
East Granby Land Trust
Frank Cervo headshot

Frank Cervo

Eastern District Service Forester
CT DEEP Forestry

Laura Cisneros

Assistant Extension Professor
UConn Department of Natural Resources and the Environment & Institute of the Environment
Sue Cope headshot

Sue Cope

Independent Contractor and Owner
Save CT Land, LLC
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Sharon Danosky

President
Danosky & Associates, LLC
Bird Release Hike At Skiff Mountain South Kent Land Trust July 2021

Yaw Darko

Senior Project Specialist
Connecticut Land Conservation Council
Victor DeMasi headshot

Victor DeMasi

Curatorial Affiliate
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
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Kathleen Doherty

Senior Conservation Manager
Connecticut Farmland Trust
Aaron Downend headshot

Aaron Downend

CEO/Founder
Firebear Security
Sophie Ehrhardt headshot

Sophie Ehrhardt

Carbon Specialist
Northeast Wilderness Trust
Eileen Fielding headshot

Eileen Fielding

Center Director
Sharon Audubon Center, Audubon Connecticut
James Finch headshot

James Finch

Finance Director
Town of Branford
Diana Fiske pulling up weeds

Diana Fiske

President
Friends of Whalebone Cove
Brian Florek headshot

Brian Florek

Chief Surveyor
CT DEEP
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Linda Francois

Partner
Cooper, Whitney & Francois
Nicole Freidenfelds headshot

Nicole Freidenfelds

Assistant Extension Educator
UConn Department of Natural Resources & the Environment
Sigrun Gadwa headshot

Sigrun Gadwa

Conservation & Ecology Committee Chair
Connecticut Botanical Society
Leah Gichuru headshot

Leah Gichuru

Undergraduate Student, Molecular and Cell Biology
UConn
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Adam Goodman

Land Protection Specialist
Aspetuck Land Trust
AliRose Grabarz headshot

AliRose Grabarz

Agricultural Marketing Inspection Representative 1
CT Department of Agriculture
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Kyle Gray

Programs and Engagement Manager
Throwe Environmental, LLC
Courtney Greene headshot

Courtney Greene

Policy Analyst
Throwe Environmental, LLC
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Anthony Griggs

Director
Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Coordinating Committee (ERWSCC)
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Brian Hagenbuch

Executive Director
Steep Rock Association
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Eric Hammerling

Executive Director
Connecticut Forest & Park Association
Shelley Harms headshot

Shelley Harms

Executive Director
Salisbury Association
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Lisa Hayden

Outreach Manager
New England Forestry Foundation
Joyce Hemingson headshot

Joyce Hemingson

Board Member
Connecticut Botanical Society
Shashika Himandi headshot

Shashika Himandi

Graduate Student
UConn
Diane Honer headshot

Diane Honer

CT Licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator
Beaver Institute, Inc.
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Amanda Johnson

Agricultural Programs Director
CT Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)
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Melissa Kalvestrand

Executive Director
Land Trust Accreditation Commission
Mark Kasinskas headshot

Mark Kasinskas

Forester/Geographer
Self-Employed
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Kip Kolesinskas

Consulting Conservation Scientist
Connecticut Farmland Trust
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Vincent LaFontan

Executive Director
Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust
Robert LaFrance headshot

Robert LaFrance

Policy Director
Audubon Connecticut
Katharine Lange headshot

Katharine Lange

Policy Specialist
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
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Honor Lawler

Project Manager II
Trust for Public Land
Jenora Ledbetter headshot

Jenora Ledbetter

Chief Executive Officer
The Self-Care Network
Aaron Lefland

Aaron Lefland

Deputy Director
Connecticut Land Conservation Council
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Mary Ellen Lemay

Landowner Engagement Director
Aspetuck Land Trust
Charles Levesque headshot

Charles Levesque

Coordinator
Securing Northeast Forest Carbon Program
Andrew Long headshot

Andrew Long

Trail Administrator
National Park Service New England National Scenic Trail
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Kate Losey

Remote Monitoring Project Manager
Land Trust Alliance
Courtney Macdonald headshot

Courtney MacDonald

Board Member
Land Heritage Coalition of Glastonbury
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Connie Manes

Greenprint Director
Housatonic Valley Association
Nancy Marek headshot

Nancy Marek

Founder
BirdHabitatBot LLC
Gwen Marrion

Gwen Marrion

Director, Bolton Land Trust
Vice-Chair, CLCC
Caitlin Mather headshot

Caitlin Mather

Land Protection Manager
Northeast Wilderness Trust
Rich McDermott headshot

Rich McDermott

Appraiser
RP McDermott & Associates, Inc.
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Spencer Meyer

Head of Science
NCX
Will O'Meara headshot

Will O’Meara

Connecticut Field Agent
Land For Good
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Amy Blaymore Paterson

Executive Director
Connecticut Land Conservation Council
Robbe Perrin headshot

Robbe Perrin

Founding Partner
Decian, Inc.
Jason Pryce headshot

Jason Pryce

Channel Development Manager
Datto, Inc.
Cynthia Rabinowitz in vernal pool

Cynthia Rabinowitz

Executive Director
Northwest Conservation and Professional Soil and Wetland Scientist
Headshot of participant

Catherine Rawson

Executive Director
Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy
Richard Roberts headshot

Richard Roberts

Partner
Halloran & Sage, LLP
Alex Rodriguez headshot

Alex Rodriguez

Environmental Justice Specialist
Save the Sound
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Julia Rogers

Senior Land Protection Manager
Housatonic Valley Association
Man smiling

Patrick Roy

First Selectman
Town of Roxbury
Reginald Saint Fortcolin headshot

Reginald Saint Fortcolin

Conservation Outreach Manager
Aspetuck Land Trust
Elizabeth Sanford headshot

Elizabeth Sanford

Marketing Consultant
Hyphen3
Jonathon Savage Headshot

Jonathon Savage

Farm Manager
Gather New Haven
Denise Savageau headshot

Denise Savageau

President
CT Association of Conservation Districts
Anne Scheibner headshot

Anne Scheibner

Founding Member
Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust
Sydney Seldon headshot

Sydney Seldon

Undergraduate Student, Environmental Science & Inter-Cultural Climate Communications
UConn
Misha Semënov-Leiva with dog

Misha Semënov-Leiva

Senior Architect & Sustainability Coordinator
Centerbrook Architects and Planners
Austin Serio

Austin Serio

Chicoran Shakori, Co-Founder & CEO, ShockTalk
IT Manager at Urban Indigenous Collective
Jane Seymour headshot

Jane Seymour

Wildlife Biologist
CT DEEP Wildlife Division
Alan Sheiness headshot

Alan Sheiness

Treasurer, Amateur Astrophotographer
The Lyme Land Trust
Elanah Sherman headshot

Elanah Sherman

Governance Committee Chair
Avalonia Land Conservancy
Keila Silva headshot

Keila Silva

Student
Suffield High School
Jeb Stevens headshot

Jeb Stevens

Trails Protection Coordinator
Connecticut Forest & Park Association

Ashley Stewart

Environmental Consultant
Stewart Environmental and Equity Consulting

David Sutherland

Equity Trainer & Facilitator
Jamie Sydoriak headshot

Jamie Sydoriak

Environmental Analyst
CT DEEP
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Gary Therrien

Member
Connecticut Botanical Society
Suzanne Thompson pulling weeds

Suzanne Thompson

Coordinator
Nix the Knotweed
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Andrea Urbano

Program Supervisor of Private and Municipal Lands
CT DEEP Forestry
Joy Valenti headshot

Joy Valenti

Nationally Certified Sign Language Interpreter
Ailla Wasstrom-Evans headshot

Ailla Wasstrom-Evans

Conservation Defense and Education Manager
Land Trust Alliance
Joe Welsh headshot

Joe Welsh

Natural Resources Manager, Aquarion Water Company
President, Shelton Land Trust
Michelle Royce Williams working outside

Michelle Royce Williams

Leader
East Lyme CT Vets Field Team
Man smiling in front of a tree

Ethan Winter

National Smart Solar Director
American Farmland Trust
Tom Worthley headshot

Tom Worthley

Associate Extension Professor
UConn
Leigh Youngblood headshot

Leigh Youngblood

Interim Executive Director
Gather New Haven