Those who help us with our stewardship responsibilities, primarily
the annual monitoring of all our easements.
About the Program | Volunteer Now | Resources
Current Land Stewards | Profiles
About the Program
Part of the Monadnock Conservancy’s mission is “to monitor and enforce the protection of lands in the trust.” Conservation easements are forever, and our stewardship responsibilities include annual monitoring of each easement property.
We depend on a dedicated group of volunteers to help us with this work: walking property boundaries and interior, visiting with the landowners, and photographing and documenting the condition of each protected property for our permanent records. Land stewards receive annual training and are responsible for monitoring one to four properties throughout the region.
Volunteer Now
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer land steward for the Conservancy, please e-mail our stewardship manager or call (603) 357-0600.
A volunteer enjoys a break after a day of trail work.
Resources
Changes in the Landscape (PDF)
Compass Navigation (PDF)
Land Steward Information and Liability Form (Word)
Updated April 2011
Monitoring Checklist (PDF)
Updated April 2011
Monitoring Report Form (PDF)
Updated April 2011
Monitoring Report Form (Word)
Updated April 2011
Observing Wildlife Sign (PDF)
Reading a Survey (PDF)
Slides from the Training Presentation (PDF)
April 2011
Current Land Stewards
Following is our list of current volunteer land stewards, sorted by the towns in which they live:
| Peter Beblowski |
Antrim |
NH |
| Oliver Mutch & Jan Miller |
Ashby |
MA |
| Kathy Thatcher |
Chesterfield |
NH |
| Brian Rohde |
Dublin |
NH |
| Sue Yarger |
Dublin |
NH |
| Robin Haynes Blais |
Fitzwilliam |
NH |
| Paul Kotila |
Fitzwilliam |
NH |
| Ben Haubrich |
Francestown |
NH |
| Ivers Bever & Reed Witherby |
Greenfield |
NH |
| Sheldon Pennoyer |
Greenfield |
NH |
Jack Calhoun & Beth Healy |
Harrisville |
NH |
| Margot Close |
Harrisville |
NH |
| Jack Davis |
Harrisville |
NH |
| Jean Rosenthal |
Harrisville |
NH |
| Dick and Heather Ames |
Jaffrey |
NH |
| Steve and Carol Gehlbach |
Jaffrey |
NH |
| Carol Thompson |
Jaffrey |
NH |
| Leigh and Chris Webb |
Jaffrey |
NH |
| Meg Freeman |
Keene |
NH |
| Helena Kopcynzki |
Keene |
NH |
| Geof and Donna Molina |
Keene |
NH |
| Dick Powers |
Keene |
NH |
| Barbara Richter |
Keene |
NH |
| Dee Robbins |
Keene |
NH |
| Peter Sebert |
Keene |
NH |
| Norman Spicher |
Keene |
NH |
| Jane Taylor |
Keene |
NH |
| Nils Ekholm |
Marlborough |
NH |
| Nancy Gitchell |
Marlborough |
NH |
| Ken Goebel |
Marlborough |
NH |
| Richard P. Church |
Nelson |
NH |
| Katherine Schillemat |
Nelson |
NH |
| Pamela White & Warren Hammack |
Nelson |
NH |
| Bob Allen |
New Ipswich |
NH |
| Random Dudley |
New Ipswich |
NH |
| Anne Booth |
Peterborough |
NH |
| Deb Kaiser |
Peterborough |
NH |
| Richard Pendleton |
Peterborough |
NH |
| Jim Orr |
Peterborough |
NH |
| Brian Bishoff |
Rindge |
NH |
| Don Launder |
Rindge |
NH |
| Jon Vanderhorst |
Rindge |
NH |
| Jack Kondos |
Spofford |
NH |
| Roger & Ann Sweet |
Sullivan |
NH |
| Eric White |
Sullivan |
NH |
| Leslie Johnson |
Surry |
NH |
| Michael Duffin & Heather Davenport |
Swanzey |
NH |
| Mike & Grace Lilly |
Swanzey |
NH |
| Walter Weeks |
Swanzey |
NH |
| Bud Winsor |
Swanzey |
NH |
| Randy Burnham |
Temple |
NH |
| John Kieley |
Temple |
NH |
| David & Ann Repak |
Temple |
NH |
| Bob & Louise Anderson |
Walpole |
NH |
| Fred Ernst |
Walpole |
NH |
| Michael Nerrie |
Walpole |
NH |
| Mel Schupack |
Walpole |
NH |
| Theresa DiLuzio |
West Swanzey |
NH |
| Chris Volonte |
Westmoreland |
NH |
| Jack Zeller |
Westmoreland |
NH |
| Reeve Gutsell |
Winchester |
NH |
Profiles
Meet some of our volunteer land stewards.
Margot Close, Harrisville
Becoming a land steward immersed Margot Close in learning—and also in a little bit of water. On her first monitoring visit to the Taves Reservation in Marlborough, she encountered the land’s capacity for change: a portion of the boundary she was following had been flooded by a stream, forcing an impromptu detour. “Luckily my husband had agreed to accompany me,” she relates. “We found the marker we were looking for, climbed through wet places and over walls, and got lots of good exercise!”
Margot had been familiar with the Conservancy’s work for years when board chair John Kieley told her about the opportunity to help out as a land steward. “I thought it would be fun to do volunteer work outdoors and learn new skills,” she says. She received on-the-ground training from stewardship manager Emily Hague, visiting the Taves Reservation where porcupines had been nibbling on bark, needles, and branches. Intrigued by the wildlife sign she encountered that day, Margot kept on learning—both “on the job” while monitoring easements and also by attending classes in subjects ranging from vernal pools to GPS navigation.
Joe Trudeau and Amber Fields, Hancock
The Monadnock Conservancy entered the lives of Joe Trudeau and Amber Fields as a birthday present, when Joe’s mom made a donation in his name in 2001. At the time, the pair were living in Arizona, attending school and working at the Ecological Restoration Institute. When they moved to New England in 2006 as fully fledged natural resources professionals, they saw the Conservancy’s annual meeting announcement online, attended the event, and soon after began serving as land stewards. “We feel strongly that to make community conservation work, committed volunteers are essential to fulfilling the stewardship responsibility over the long term,” Joe says.
Joe, a consulting biologist, and Amber, a forester, were paired with large, rugged easements encompassing 630 acres in Greenfield and Antrim. It was a favorable match. “The Rand Brook easements are a great connection for us,” says Joe. As volunteers for the Greenfield Trails Association, he and Amber help maintain the same trails they walk to monitor the properties. They also spend free time recreating in the Rand Brook area, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting. “It’s beautiful land, with great trails,” says Joe. “We immensely enjoy the property.”
Oliver Mutch, Ashby, MA
With 2008 marking his seventh year as a land steward, Ollie Mutch monitors five easements encompassing more than 500 acres in four towns (Alstead, Walpole, Rindge, and Sharon). “That’s about what we can handle!” he says. He and his partner, Janice Miller, take great pleasure in getting out on the land together, but Ollie’s prime motivation arises from his deep appreciation for protected open space. “We need as much of it as we can get,” he says, “for wildlife and for people.”
For Ollie, serving as a land steward is a way to care for and maintain the region’s waters, forests, wildlife habitats, working farms, scenic views, and recreational trails. His commitment is evidenced by his long history of active support for conservation efforts, including two decades of involvement with the Harris Center for Conservation Education, where he has done everything from construction work to leading nature hikes.
His sustained years as a land steward have enabled Ollie to develop a special familiarity with the properties while observing them over time. Among the five easements he monitors, he doesn’t have a favorite: “They each have their own qualities!” he says.
Ann and Dave Repak, Temple
If “retirement” means to withdraw into rest or seclusion, then Ann and Dave Repak are not at all retired. Between them, the 22-year Temple residents occupy more than a half dozen volunteer positions in their town and the surrounding region.
“We don’t know how to shake our heads from side to side—only up and down!” Ann jokes. She recently led a team that completed a town oral history project for the Temple Historical Society, where Dave serves as vice president. Dave is also a member of the town conservation commission. Additionally, as a Conservancy Town Representative, he actively fosters connections between the Conservancy and the local community.
Both Dave and Ann were among the Friends of Temple Mountain, the group of concerned residents who banded together in 2002 to craft a conservation plan for the former ski area. The group’s work came to fruition in December 2007, when the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development established Temple Mountain as a new state reservation.
Ann and Dave became members of the Conservancy in 2002 because they liked the idea of serving as land stewards. They have been stalwart monitors ever since, sometimes covering up to four properties in a year. “We love to walk and hike; it’s a hobby,” says Ann. Today, the pair monitors three easements encompassing some 95 forested acres in Peterborough.
