Kristin DeBoer has served as Executive Director of Kestrel Land Trust since 2006, leading the organization’s growth from a small volunteer-led group to a professionally staffed regional land trust. During this time, Kestrel has more than tripled its rate of land conserved annually. Kristin has a BA in economics and environmental science from Bucknell University and an MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch University. She lives with her family in Pelham, Massachusetts.
Reggie works nationwide with land trusts, community partners, and government leaders to save special places outdoors. When not saving land, he is out experiencing it often on a bike, in running shoes, or otherwise suited up for an adventure.
Tee combines her expertise in the mechanics of public water finance with her passion for natural infrastructure. She’s a strong believer in the potential power of public financing to be the super catalytic investor in this fast-emerging field of nature-based solutions while simultaneously and aggressively advancing equity and resilience agendas across the country.
Kari Cohen is the Projects Branch Chief at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In this position, he provides strategic and operational leadership for four NRCS programs-Regional Conservation Partnership Program, Conservation Innovation Grants, Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, and the Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentive Program. Cohen has served over 19 years with NRCS, including stints coordinating NRCS’s Chesapeake Bay watershed activities and serving as NRCS’s Legislative Affairs Director.
Tim founded the Environmental Policy Innovation Center in 2017. Prior to launching this startup, he was an Associate Director at the White House CEQ, and in leadership roles at Defenders of Wildlife, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Environmental Defense Fund. He holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Hawaii. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Science magazine, and peer-reviewed journals. A former elected city official who led the passage of the first 16-year-old voting age in America. A practical optimist and ENFP always willing to help if you ask or just cheer you on.
Shelby Semmes serves as Vice President for New England, leading Trust for Public Land’s teams and mission delivery across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. She’s a determined optimist passionate about the foundational role that community-based urban parks and land conservation play in building a livable future. She lives in Warren, Vermont, with her husband and two sons.
Jackie Rigley is a Conservation Finance Specialist at Highstead where she focuses on federal conservation funding opportunities and sharing funding and capacity resources with partners throughout New England. Jackie earned a degree in Environmental Studies and Sociology from the University of California Santa Barbara.
As Executive Director, Leigh leads the Conservation Finance Network’s (CFN) effort to enable collective impact for the field of conservation finance. Through technical assistance, coaching, and convening programs, CFN helps to increase the amount of capital deployed for social equity and ecological resilience. Prior to CFN, she managed professional training programs and applied conservation initiatives for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. Leigh holds an M.E.Sc. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.
From collaborative efforts to increase pollinator populations to new partnerships and increased funding opportunities, New England conservationists made significant advancements in 2022. If you find yourself indoors burrowing like a barred owl, why not catch up with our readers’ favorite conservation stories of the year?
Habitats and Biodiversity
Beyond Butterflies: Habitat Restoration and the Rare Northern Metalmark While invasive plants and increased development continue to threaten the existence of the rare and endangered Northern Metalmark butterfly (Calephis borealis), a collaborative effort is underway to restore the vulnerable and non-migratory butterfly’s specific habitat needs in Fairfield County.
Endangered Monarch Make the Most of Milkweed Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) make their summer home at Highstead, where their sole hostplant, native milkweed from the genus Asclepias grow in abundance.
Winter at Work on the Ecotype Seed Project Highstead is one of several Ecotype Project partners who contribute their capacity and expertise to support the production and distribution of diverse, wild, and native plants, even in the deep New England winter.
A Q & A with Highstead’s Conservation Interns Meet Highstead’s 2022 Fall Conservation Intern cohort and learn about their communications and events, policy, and GIS internship activities.
The Big Picture
Practical Solutions to Climate Change Highstead’s onsite stewardship approach demonstrates sustainable ecological design and management methods for the New England landscape. Learn about the nature-based solutions, conservation methods, and habitat diversity enhancement strategies at Highstead that you can employ at home or in your community.
Taking a Closer Look at Forest Management Highstead Senior Ecologist Ed Faison shares lessons about how different types of forest management can be used to protect forests for climate and biodiversity with the New Jersey Forest Task Force.
New Conservation Mapping Tool Helps Visualize Opportunities A new interactive mapping tool from the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative is designed to aid northeastern conservation practitioners and organizations, including regional conservation partnerships and land trusts, in advancing bird and bird habitat conservation.
While the conservation community is quick to understand the value of trees and forests for people, the climate and for biodiversity, at least one Connecticut utility has identified roadside trees as a threat to the power grid and has begun efforts to remove large swaths of trees along rural and suburban roads.
In an effort to educate people on the value of roadside trees, Highstead Senior Ecologist Ed Faison compiled a series of key facts about roadside trees, making a strong case for preserving as many healthy specimens as possible.
Jillian serves as Director of Climate Finance for American Forest Foundation (AFF). She brings over 15 years of national and international experience in climate finance strategy, fund design and management, and planning. Jillian leads the AFF strategy to structure and secure finance at scale to expand the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) throughout the continental United States. The FFCP program was developed in partnership with TNC, enabling smaller-scale forest owners to benefit from voluntary carbon markets, contributing to nature-based climate solutions. In July 2022, she led the issuance of a first-of-its-kind corporate green bond to scale FFCP.
Steph has been working in carbon and renewable energy markets for the past 8 years, focusing on portfolio management and structured commodities transactions. In her current role as Director on the Carbon Markets team at 3Degrees, she oversees all of the company’s commercial carbon activity, which includes the purchasing and sales of carbon credits, originating new projects, and supporting the Business Partnerships Team to build custom portfolios for clients. Before joining 3Degrees, Steph completed a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management with a focus in Energy and Climate at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
A resident of western Maine’s Lake Region, Matt has worked for Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) as its Executive Director since 2019. Matt is motivated by conservation partnerships that blend rural economic and community development, habitat protection, and equal access to outdoor spaces and natural resources. Loon Echo Land Trust stewards over 8,000 acres of forestland in the foothills of the northern Appalachians.
Dr. Spencer Meyer is the Head of Science at NCX, responsible for activating the most credible, innovative science on natural climate solutions. He works externally with stakeholders and thought leaders to link the science and business of natural capital markets. Spencer is a forester and landscape ecologist with over 20 years of experience working collaboratively with public and private sector partners to solve natural resource challenges. He is a co-founder of Sebago Clean Waters, an advisor to conservation NGOs and private foundations, and a frequent speaker. Spencer earned his A.B. from Dartmouth and his M.S. and Ph.D. from UMaine.
Jackie Rigley is a Conservation Finance Specialist at Highstead where she focuses on federal conservation funding opportunities and sharing funding and capacity resources with partners throughout New England. Jackie earned a degree in Environmental Studies and Sociology from the University of California Santa Barbara.
As Executive Director, Leigh leads the Conservation Finance Network’s (CFN) effort to enable collective impact for the field of conservation finance. Through technical assistance, coaching, and convening programs, CFN helps to increase the amount of capital deployed for social equity and ecological resilience. Prior to CFN, she managed professional training programs and applied conservation initiatives for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. Leigh holds an M.E.Sc. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.
A new report released this week by Highstead lays out five separate but complementary pathways that could increase the climate benefit of New England’s Forests. According to the report, New England’s Climate Imperative: Our Forests as a Natural Climate Solution (Meyer et al 2022), New England Forests already absorb 14% of CO2 emissions, and that number could increase to 21% of current emissions by 2050 by adopting these five pathways: avoided deforestation, wildland reserves, improved forest management, mass timber construction and urban and suburban forests.
New England forests are a critical yet underutilized tool in fighting climate change. They store massive amounts of carbon—and each year they sequester more. Despite the work our forests are already doing to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere, they could do substantially more. As New England states work to meet their 2050 goals for reducing emissions, the relative importance of forest-based mitigation will grow. This report identifies five distinct but complementary pathways that illustrate how New England forests can do even more to tackle climate change. By implementing these five pathways, especially if done together, New England can advance conservation and increase the climate mitigation potential of forests.
Avoided Deforestation:
Each year, 28,000 acres of forests are permanently converted to development, emitting their stored carbon and forgoing all future sequestration. We must reduce this rate of forest loss. If we reduce deforestation to 7,000 acres per year in New England, 74 million tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e) would be kept out of the atmosphere by 2050.
Wildland Reserves:
Less than 4% of our forests are currently protected as wildland reserves. We need to ensure that a minimum of 10% of New England’s forests are allowed to grow and mature without the influence of any extractive land uses. This would sequester an additional 50 million tons CO2e by 2050.
Improved Forest Management:
Society is heavily dependent on wood products, and New England is a great place to grow trees. By changing our management practices and stewarding timberlands to maximize carbon sequestration, we can maintain harvest volumes while increasing carbon storage in the forest. If just 50% of harvests employed climate smart techniques, an additional 203 million tons CO2e could be sequestered by 2050.
Mass Timber Construction:
Trees are a valuable climate solution inside and outside the forest. Using mass timber building materials is much less carbon intensive than steel or concrete and has the added benefit of storing carbon through the life of the building. If 50% of the eligible new buildings used mass timber construction, an additional 15 million tons CO2e could be stored.
Urban and Suburban Forests: Expanding tree and forest cover within our communities has enormous benefits even beyond carbon, including shading, clean air, clean water, and recreational and employment opportunities. A 5% increase in urban tree canopy in New England could sequester an additional 17 million tons CO2e by 2050
By the Numbers
Taken together at the middle tier, the cumulative potential carbon benefits of the five pathways would lead to 358 million additional tons CO2e stored in the forest by 2050.
358 million tons of CO2e is equivalent to displacing the total 30-year energy consumption of nearly 1.3 million households in New England (from p. 38 – no citation)
14% of CO2 emissions is absorbed by New England forests each year
21% of current CO2 emissions could be sequestered by adopting these 5 pathways at the middle tier.
Using birds as its guide, the conservation mapping tool will support activities such as habitat management plan and stewardship development, land prioritization and acquisition strategies, and landowner and community engagement.
This unique and novel tool showcases Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird Status & Trends (S&T) data for 43 priority bird species across five different habitat types, including forest, shrub/young forest, coast/shoreline, grassland, and wetland/marsh, as GIS data layers. The S&T data can be downloaded to add into preexisting GIS and land prioritization projects or overlaid with layers such as protected open space, National Audubon’s Important Bird Areas, and The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Landscapes data, helping paint a clear picture of the relationship between the land and birds.
The tool was created by partners in the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative, a collaborative effort between The Regional Conservation Partnership (RCP) Network, Audubon groups, Highstead, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. GIS experts at Harvard Forest and Highstead and scientists from the Cornell Lab created simplified versions of the eBird modeled abundance bird data and made it freely available.
eBird is among the world’s largest biodiversity-related science projects, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed annually by eBirders around the world. A collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organizations, thousands of regional experts, and hundreds of thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
After a highly successful and engaging series of webinars last year, Highstead and the Conservation Finance Network have announced the second annual five-part Conservation Finance Learning Lab. The free webinars are available to registrants and take place on the second Tuesday of each month, from December 2022 through April 2023.
The webinar series will feature panel discussions, case studies, and networking opportunities for participants to take a deep dive into tangible, innovative approaches to conservation funding and financing. The concepts and lessons learned from the case studies presented will be broadly applicable to practitioners everywhere. Each session will build on the previous sessions, culminating in the “Dolphin Tank” exercise where participants will have the opportunity to analyze and discuss solutions to real-world conservation problems.
Participants who have not previously participated in Conservation Finance 101 are encouraged to watch this pre-recorded session.
Webinar Dates and Registration
For those unable to attend a live session, a recording will be available on this page after each webinar.
Part I: Carbon Markets: Past, Present, and Future – December 13, 2022 at 3 PM ET
This session will focus on various carbon revenue strategies, including regulatory and voluntary markets, corporate carbon insetting, pipeline development, trendlines for the coming years, as well as perspective from a land trust experimenting with carbon offsets.
Part III: The Art & Science of Borrowing Money: Bridge Loans & State Revolving Funds – February 14, 2023 at 2 PM ET
This session will focus on the benefits and sources of short-term and long-term debt. First we’ll delve into the mechanics of a financed transaction and learn about the ins and outs of short-term bridge financing, including the perspective of a land trust borrower. Then we’ll explore Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans (SRFs), a source of long-term public financing including immediate opportunities and how to move forward projects where funds are available.
Part IV: Approaching Companies for Partnerships: How to Sharpen Your Partner Introduction – March 14, 2023 at 2 PM ET
This session will focus on trends in corporate philanthropy, building a target list of companies, identifying a partnership fit, and how to create compelling introductions for support.
Part V: “Dolphin Tank” Project Consultations – April 11, 2023 at 2 PM ET
This last session will put the previous webinar lessons into practice where participants will have the opportunity to analyze and deliberate solutions to real-world conservation problems.
Every year for nearly 20 years, Highstead has welcomed young and bright minds onto their team through their Fall Conservation Internship Program. The program gives aspiring conservationists, students, and recent graduates an opportunity to gain experience in the conservation field while also providing Highstead with fresh ideas and energy from the next generation. This September through December, Highstead welcomes conservation interns, Autumn Carson as the Communications and Events Intern, Sylvia Holland as the Conservation Finance Intern, and Cliff Sheehan as the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Intern.
After adjusting to their new roles, Autumn, Sylvia, and Cliff sat down for a Q&A to share a bit about their personal and professional backgrounds, aspirations for the internship, and more.
Autumn Carson (She/Her) – Communications and Events Conservation Intern
Tell us a bit about your background.
I was born and raised in the metro-Detroit area of Michigan and moved to East Lansing, Michigan when I was 17 to attend Michigan State University. I graduated with a BA in Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities and a double minor in Religious Studies and Environment and Sustainability Studies. I did college ministry for a couple of years after I graduated, but I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the environmental field. Recently, I started grad school at Virginia Tech where I’m pursuing a Masters of Natural Resources.
Autumn with a senior goat at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Diego, California
What drew you to the Highstead internship program and what do you hope to gain from your time here?
I really appreciate Highstead’s commitment to environmental conservation and stewardship, especially through collaborating and partnering with individuals and organizations with similar missions. I’m excited for the opportunity to exercise and grow my communications skills while working with and learning from such experienced and passionate people at Highstead.
What skills and experiences will you bring to the Highstead team?
In my previous role as Care and Connection Coordinator at Riverview Church, a lot of my responsibilities mirrored those of my current position at Highstead. I was involved in a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for planning, organizing, and executing both online and in-person events. I was also responsible for running our social media accounts, so I have experience developing and curating engaging content for social media platforms.
What are some of your hobbies and passions outside of work?
Autumn at a Surfaces and LANY concert at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheater in Sterling Heights, Michigan
My favorite thing to do is go to concerts by myself! I love seeing my favorite artists live and on stage, and so far, I’ve seen 21 of my favorite musicians over the last 12 months (my favorites have been Lauv, With Confidence, Blake Rose and HARBOUR).
Outside of that, I really enjoy swimming, hiking, hammocking, hot yoga and playing the guitar. During the first wave of stay-at-home orders in Michigan, I learned how to longboard and play the ukulele, so I also do those in my free time as well.
Sylvia Holland (She/Her) – Conservation Finance Intern
Tell us a bit about your background.
I’m a recent graduate of Wellesley College with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. I grew up in the Green Mountains of Vermont and later moved to mid-coast Maine where I raise goats and keep honeybees.
What drew you to the Highstead internship program and what do you hope to gain from your time here?
Sylvia holding the first salmon she ever caught while on Herring Cove Beach in Ketchikan, Alaska
Working closely with Highstead’s passionate and encouraging team has been the highlight of my internship so far. I’ve also enjoyed diving deeper into conservation finance research and engaging with projects with real-world ramifications. Highstead is also a hub of conservation activity, and I very much look forward to continuing to collaborate with people and organizations across New England.
Sylvia on-board the SSV Corwith Cramer where she spent a semester sailing and doing marine biology with the Sea Education Association based out of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
What skills and experiences will you bring to the Highstead team?
When I graduated college, I wanted to become a scientific communicator. I’m skilled at reading dense reports or pieces of policy, pulling out key bits of information, and creating digestible presentations that empower communities and organizations. I’m also a good listener and am dedicated to hearing all the points of view on a topic and finding common ground.
What are some of your passions and hobbies outside of work?
I love playing the fiddle, knitting, and biking, and have recently been trying to learn to pickle farmers’ market produce.
Cliff Sheehan (He/They) – GIS Conservation Intern
Tell us a bit about your background.
I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I first fell in love with conservation at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. I attended Duke University and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a concentration in Marine Science and a minor in Biology. I spent my senior year at the Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina where I took a number of field science courses and completed my senior thesis with the Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Laboratory. After graduating, I worked as a field technician for the Seagrass Ecology Lab and the Craboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi.
What drew you to the Highstead internship program and what do you hope to gain from your time here?
Highstead’s focus on science-informed conservation, its collaborative approach to accomplishing its mission, and its intentional inclusion of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all their projects is what drew me to their internship program. Through this internship, I hope to gain more experience working with diverse parties to advance equitable conservation, grow my GIS skillset, and explore potential career opportunities.
What skills and experiences will you bring to the Highstead team?
Cliff with an octopus he accidentally caught while fishing (the octopus was safely returned to the water)
I believe my time at the Duke University Marine Laboratory will benefit the Highstead team because it exposed me to the technical side of science and conservation. I was given the chance to explore the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles and remotely operated vehicles in environmental science and conservation, as well as spatial analysis using Esri platforms and open-source technologies, and machine learning. I hope to expand Highstead’s capacity to provide technical support for its partners.
What are some of your passions and hobbies outside of work?
Cliff posing with all of his race medals in front of Cinderella’s castle in Disney world after completing the 2022 Dopey Challenge (running a 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, and full marathon on four sequential days)
I love rock climbing, especially in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. I’ve been climbing since my Dad took me to the Gorge when I was 13. Outside of that, I grew up swimming competitively, but took up running in high school for fun in the off seasons. I’ve never been particularly fast, but I’ve really enjoyed running long distances. In 2017, I ran my first half marathon, my first marathon in 2019, and my first multi-event running challenge in 2021. I also love learning new things! Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned to fish, bake, decorate cakes, knit, and crochet; I am now taking recommendations for new hobbies to try.
Of the 117 butterfly species documented in Connecticut, the northern metalmark (Calephis borealis) features brown and delicate wings of ochre ringed with a hint of shimmery silver, with a wingspan of 1 to 1-1/4 inches, and two striped antennae with club-like tips. Without descriptive anchors, one might miss the tiny, locally endangered, and globally rare butterfly among its three known major populations in New York state, central Pennsylvania through West Virginia, and even near Highstead in Western Connecticut.
Metalmark butterfly on rudbeckia. Photo courtesy of Faith Novella.
These isolated butterfly populations are indicators of a specific and aged land history, consisting of alkaline-rich limestone bedrock, eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), and ecotonal woodland habitat, all of which provide conditions for roundleaf ragwort (Packera obovata) to support northern metalmark larvae and nearby its adult nectar sources like fleabane and black-eyed Susan.
Highstead’s executive director Geordie Elkins explained, “Northern metalmark habitat is disappearing because of development and invasive species, threatening the existence of the butterfly. Other species with larger dispersal areas can move, making them more resilient to change and habitat disruption. Since the metalmark has such a short flight range, it’s essentially immobile making them less resilient more vulnerable to habitat destruction.”
But the northern metalmark’s Connecticut story doesn’t have to end there. As it happens, habitat supporting a northern metalmark population was recently identified in Fairfield County, but not without the challenge of invasive plant competitors. With permission from the landowners, local lepidopterist and Connecticut Butterfly Association (CBA) board member Victor DeMasi, CBA volunteer restoration coordinator Faith Novella, Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Botanical Society, along with Highstead are together restoring the rare site for northern metalmark butterflies and the native plants they depend on.
Victor DeMasi explained the importance of this unique plant community for unique butterflies. “Northern metalmark only feeds on a special plant that only grows in little tenth-of-an-acre spots in the limestone belt. So, the caterpillars need a specific food plant; the other thing that the adult butterflies need is nectar. And it’s been shown that with ample nectar, female butterflies will produce many more fertile eggs. Nectar has become a recognized important fact of the butterfly lifecycle. We have the black-eyed Susan as a specific nectar source for the adult metalmark at the site we’re restoring.”
Metalmark restoration habitat. Photo courtesy of Faith Novella.
What began as an invasive plant management plan eventually grew into a comprehensive and collective effort. “You’ve got butterfly experts, landowners who are concerned about the environmental quality of their property, and Highstead, and each person is bringing their own expertise and capacity to what really is a genuine collaboration,” said Geordie. He described Highstead’s initial involvement. “The native plants that the butterflies need to survive were being outcompeted by phragmites, swallow-wort, bittersweet, and all the regular invasive plant. Victor and Faith began invasive plant removal, and then they wanted to come back and supplement with native plants. We felt it was important to get plants that actually came from that site and had the same genes that are suited to the highly specialized soil.” Geordie continued, “Additionally, there are a number of Connecticut species of special concern that grow on the site. The entire site is very unique beyond the metalmark. It’s the whole suite of plants that allow for the butterflies.”
Last fall, Highstead collected seeds from black-eyed susans, the primary northern metalmark nectar plant as well as some of the other specialized plants that make this site so unique. Last winter the seeds were germinated them in the greenhouse , growing between five and six-hundred plant plugs. This spring Highstead staff worked with Faith to plant them back into the site. “They look great and are mostly growing well and flowering despite the drought. We were kind of worried because the site’s soil is thin and dry due to the limestone ledge. However, when we planted the plants, there was about 2 weeks’ worth of intermittent rain which was enough to get them well established,” added Geordie.
The restoration team continues ongoing nectar augmentation, invasive plant weeding, and consistent care for native ecotype plants. Geordie emphasized the careful balance between working and making space for the northern metalmark. “Because the butterflies are always on the site in either butterfly form, egg, or larval form, we’re trying to be really careful about how many people are in there working at a time, so there aren’t people trampling the area.”
While significant progress has been made to restore and increase northern metalmark habitat, the site will require year-round maintenance to keep invasive plants from outcompeting beneficial butterfly flora. This past summer, Yale Conservation Scholar Beau Martinez, worked with Geordie to develop a field identification guide to the invasive plants within the northern metalmark conservation area. The guide includes an annual schedule of invasive removal for seasonal guidance throughout the year. While the guide was created specifically for site restoration volunteers, others may find it helpful in creating their own invasive plant identification guides.
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2022. Online Conservation Guide for Calephelis borealis. Available from: https://guides.nynhp.org/northern-metalmark/. Accessed August 9, 2022.
