Posted December 20, 2021
I am incredibly honored to have been selected as Wareham Land Trust’s first Executive Director. I’d like to thank everyone for their warm welcome. I’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.
I have always been drawn to the outdoors. As a child, you’d most likely find me exploring streams and climbing trees. As a student, I channeled my passion for the environment into earning Biology and Environmental Management degrees, focusing on ecology and conservation. As a professional, my experiences have been quite varied, both in terms of organization type, as well as geography. I served two years in the Peace Corps in Zambia, worked as an environmental educator at multiple non-profits, completed multiple conservation planning projects for a land trust in Alaska, and held a watershed management position near Boston. For the past nine years, I was a scientist and project manager for the Woods Hole Group, an environmental consulting company in Bourne. I also run a local naturalists club and have been volunteering with MassAudubon for the past eight years.
In addition to my passion for conservation, I bring conservation planning, grant writing, outreach and education, and GIS experience to WLT. One of my main roles will be to support the Board of Directors in managing and stewarding the lands we already protect. I plan to enhance stewardship of these properties by updating and expanding the existing property management plans, implementing trail and mapping improvements, and performing habitat restorations. I also hope to help WLT reach new heights, through comprehensive conservation and acquisition planning, proactive grant writing, and enhanced outreach to new members and project partners. Since starting this month, I have already started reaching out to Town committees, neighboring land trusts, and regional organizations to build partnering relationships, getting to know each of WLT’s properties personally, and getting involved with advocacy issues related to development proposed adjacent to our conservation lands.
With such an experienced Board of Directors and so many dedicated members, I am excited for all that we can achieve together. I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming months on the trails and at our events!
Elise Leduc-Fleming, Executive Director