Regulation and interpretation of the town-code’s conservation statutes. Discussion and analyses of private landowner development projects, which require wetlands permitting, along with steep-slope and clear cutting infractions. Advising the town on stormwater issues and conservation improvements.

As a board member my responsibilities vary from providing expertise and guidance on local conservation issues to constructively coming up with methods to promote membership and community involvement that align with National Audubon’s Strategic Plan. Public speaking, volunteer coordinating, easement monitoring, trail improvements, and sanctuary management are all functions that I perform under this title.

Originally hired as the lead of PIPC’s Golden-winged warbler habitat restoration program, my duties shifted to encompass a broader range of tasks and wetlands management projects as my time with the Park Commission has progressed. Avian surveying by sight and sound, with particular attention to Golden-winged warbler, Blue-winged warbler, and their hybrid counterparts. Wetland habitat management focusing on multiple control techniques for Phragmites australis in both tidal and non-tidal settings. Volunteer coordinating and outreach, data management, vegetation surveying, public speaking, project/ wetland permit preparation, and the development of surveying protocols comprise the central duties of this position. Contractor oversight on water control projects and large scale Phragmites cutting. ArcMap10 and GPS are frequently used as the field biologist to create maps of management locations and survey areas. Chainsaws, brush-saws, hand-tools, and heavy machinery are frequently used to accomplish management goals.

Duties included trail clearing, trail improvement, boundary marking, basic carpentry, invasive vegetation control, and habitat management. Assed and felled hazardous trees, constructed bog bridging, built checks and steps to improve trail functionality and persistence, deconstructed structures on preserve lands to meet with open space standards, used brush and chainsaws to keep habitats at certain successional states, cut and painted property boundaries, manually removed invasive flora, and conducted site walks with senior stewardship staff.

My duties at the conservancy spanned a wide range. Leading conservation walks on eased land, website updating and development, participating in lands, development, and planning meetings, performing site walks with the land agent, and making sure baseline documentation was up to IRS and the Land Trust Alliance standards comprised the work accomplished with the conservancy.

My duties during this position encompassed responsibilities that a full-time employee would conduct. Natural education and outreach, invasive plant control, scientific monitoring, general maintenance, and aspects of sanctuary management were all parts of this position. Stewardship duties such as trail maintenance, small construction and carpentry jobs, brush clearing, chainsaw use and control of the invasive plant phragmites were areas where I dedicated the most time. The leadership of public canoe trips was also a major component of my duties and a large part of the outreach to the community. This consisted of sharing my knowledge of the natural history of Constitution Marsh and discussing the importance of conserving bird habitat in the Hudson River Valley while leading groups of students and/or families through a 270 acre tidal marsh on the Hudson River. Educationally, I taught school and camp groups predominately in an outdoor setting. Macro-invertebrate stream studies, interpretive bird walks, and educational canoe trips were the main areas of focus for teaching. I worked in this capacity with children as young as those in first grade up to high school and college level students. I was also able to dedicate time to data collection and banding for breeding bird surveys, glass eel population monitoring, and song bird censusing.