The Building a Resilient Future campaign is going strong! The money that our supporters have generously trusted us with is being used in two important ways. The first is the construction of our new, permanent, and sustainable, headquarters in downtown Keene. The second goal is just as important - increase our staff to meet the demand for conservation in our region.
We are honored that that our supporters have trusted the Conservancy to deliver on this mission, and we wanted to give you an exciting update on the staffing piece of this campaign. To date, we have hired for three new positions: Easement Stewardship Manager, Conservation Project Manager, and Stewardship Assistant! Each of these positions will help the Conservancy conserve land more strategically and monitor the over 24,000 acres that we protect.
We didn't have to look far for the Easement Stewardship Manager position. Richard Pendleton, who has served the Conservancy is many ways over the years, was given a well-deserved promotion. Richard is a former member of the Monadnock Conservancy board (two terms) and the stewardship and lands committees, he has also served on the Peterborough Conservation Commission and Water Resources Committee. He is also a former chair of the Harris Center for Conservation Education board and continues to serve on their lands committee. Richard joined the Conservancy in 2019 as a stewardship assistant and was promoted to stewardship coordinator shortly thereafter. MC is so happy to further tap Richard's extensive experience in this new position.
To replace Richard in his former role, we hired Jen Weimer as the new Stewardship Assistant. Jen joins the Monadnock Conservancy after a 20-year career with the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands. As a forest health specialist she monitored and managed forest pests on the states 4.8 million acres of forest, conducted forest research field work for the U.S. Forest Service, and increased public awareness of forest health issues. These two positions will help the Conservancy monitor vast swaths of land.
Finally, we couldn't do our work without a strong Land Protection team. These are the folks who write the terms of each conservation easement, find funding for projects, and work closely with landowners to arrive at the best solution for each property. To support Anne McBride and Pete Throop who run this department, we hired Joy Fletcher as MC's new Conservation Project Manager. Joy brings decades of experience in project management and forestry to this role. She has served as a Forest Steward with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and is an active member of the Westmoreland Conservation Commission.
When you donate to the Building a Resilient Future campaign, you can trust that we are putting this money to work. Land conservation requires expertise and constant vigilance - these new hires are helping to ensure this work continues well into the future.