About Conservation NH

Our mission is to enrich the quality of life in New Hampshire by improving the environment and conserving natural resources.

We accomplish this by:

• Convening the state’s environmental and scientific communities to develop environmental policy priorities.
• Communicating our environmental priorities by engaging citizens and businesses.
• Reporting the votes and actions of elected officials on environmental issues and holding them accountable.
• Educating New Hampshire citizens how they can best participate in the electoral process to advance environmental policy priorities.

We believe that conservation issues are non-partisan, and that all Granite Staters care about our environment and quality of life. Our job is to help link that love of New Hampshire to the public policy decisions being made in Washington, D.C., Concord, or our town halls, and to the personal decisions being made around the kitchen table.

Conservation NH achieves this task in a number of ways. First and foremost, we seek to educate people on the numerous ways protecting the environment affects our daily lives. Conservation efforts have and will continue to save a favorite hiking or fishing spot, ensure a safe supply of local food, or give the right incentives to become more energy efficient.

This education encourages people to take action, especially when conservation efforts are threatened. We work to ensure that the public is aware of the policy discussions underway at the national, state, and local levels. We help them to get engaged in the process and prevent their quality of life from coming under attack.

Conservation NH also engages the diverse state environmental community. We convene the many organizations dedicated to protecting New Hampshire’s natural resources, and assist them in developing policy priorities.

Conservation NH is leading the charge in the state for big picture environmental advocacy.

Board of Directors
Ken Colburn, Chair
Roger Stephenson
Carmelle Druchniak
Michele Goldsmith
Thomas Masland
Rick Russman

Advisers
Elizabeth Hager
James Bassett
Susan Arnold
Rachel Goldwasser
Rebecca Brown
David Borden

Staff
Susie Hackler, Interim Executive Director

Interns
Heidi Quigley, Southern New Hampshire University
Landon Kowalczyk, Southern New Hampshire University
Nathaniel Boesch, Southern New Hampshire University
Michael Samuels, Hampshire College

Biographies

Ken Colburn, Chair of Conservation NH
After serving as Executive Director of the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, Mr. Colburn started Symbiotic Strategies, an independent consultancy to pursue his interests in climate change, energy, public policy, and the intersection of environmental and economic opportunity. Currently, Ken is also Environmental Policy Director at Stonyfield Farms.  Previously, Mr. Colburn led the Air Resources Division of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), helping to make that state a leader in reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases. During this tenure, Mr. Colburn led climate change efforts in the national air directors’ organization, representing the states at many gatherings of the UNFCCC process, including Kyoto. Prior to joining NHDES, Mr. Colburn was Vice President of Energy and Environmental Policy at the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire, representing the state’s business community on environmental and energy matters in legislative and regulatory forums. Mr. Colburn holds a B.S. degree in mathematics from M.I.T. and M.B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of New Hampshire.

Roger Stephenson
Roger is the Executive VP of Programs for Clean Air – Cool Planet, an organization committed to finding and promoting solutions to end global warming. Roger was national field director for the League of Conservation Voters and provided campaign support to environmental leaders in both major parties running for congress. He later developed the LCV Education Fund and was its first executive director. Roger worked in both Clinton-Gore administrations under Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and the Director of the National Park Service from 1995-1999 as an advisor on communications and external relations. He was the Interior representative to the Council on Environmental Quality in 1998 and 1999, where he managed program development and stakeholder relations for President Clinton’s American Heritage River initiative. At the end of 1999 Roger returned to New England to serve non-profits, government and businesses through private practice in public relations.

Carmelle Druchniak
After six years of communications and PR work with organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, previous PR posts at the University of New Hampshire and Rivier College, and a brief, yet memorable stint in newspapers, Carmelle is now working as a public relations-communications consultant. Her firm, Scout, works with national and regional brands, including Rustic Crust, Tabatchnick Fine Foods, and HP Hood. When she’s not madly pitching soup to nuts, she’s enjoying the forests, mountains and lakes of her home state. Carmelle has fond memories of summers on Glen Lake in Goffstown, skiing at Sunapee and King Ridge, and family get-togethers on her grandfather’s farm in Rochester. You might even find her pitching a tent in the backyard of her Candia home, with three dogs, two children and one husband to keep her company.

Tom Masland
Tom is an attorney at Ransmeier & Spellman where he represents both landowners and conservation organizations in land protection projects and conservation transactions. Tom is a frequent writer and lecturer on conservation easements and estate planning topics to professionals as well as the general public. Tom is a member of the boards of the Squam Lakes Conservation Society, and the Lakes Region Advisory Board of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Tom also is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and was the founding Chair of the Elder Law Section of the New Hampshire Bar Association. Born in Hanover, New Hampshire on July 17, 1951, Tom graduated from Princeton University and received his law degree from the University of Maine. Tom lives in Canterbury with his wife Sylvia Bates, a land conservation professional, and has three children. Tom and Sylvia enjoy travel, hiking, canoeing, skiing and gourmet cooking.

Rick Russman
Rick is an original founder of Conservation NH. He practiced law for more than 35 years in Exeter and served as a New Hampshire State Senator for ten years, from 1990 to 2000. He was a founder of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators with over 700 members nationwide. Rick is very active in the NH conservation community, serving on the policy advisory committee for the Forest Society, a board member of the Residential Ratepayer Advisory Counsel at the Office of Consumer Advocacy at the PUC, a board member of the South East Land Trust of NH and chairman of the Friends of Kingston Open Space. Rick is a National Outings Leader for the Sierra Club leading back packing trips throughout the South West and the Rocky Mountains. He also leads service trips for Wilderness Volunteers. If Rick is not kayaking, biking, or playing in the White Mountains, he’s cutting cord wood for next year’s winter.

Michele Goldsmith
Dr. Goldsmith has a Ph.D in Biological Anthropology and has been studying the behavioral ecology of gorillas in both the Congo and Uganda since 1991. As a National Geographic researcher, she has been examining the role of tourism on the behavior and well-being of endangered mountain gorillas. Her main interests are in animal behavior, conservation and ethics. Currently, she is an associate professor at Southern New Hampshire University and teaches anthropology and environmental science.

James Bassett
Jim lives with his family in Canterbury and is an attorney at the Concord law firm of Orr & Reno. He represents clients in land use matters before town and state boards, and is a trial lawyer with experience in both federal and state courts. Jim has represented towns and landowners in regard to land use issues including the interpretation and enforcement of conservation easements, the permitting of docks and cell towers, and the enforcement of state and local land use and environmental regulations. Jim has served in both state and local government: for close to a decade he was a member of the State’s Rivers Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) overseeing the State’s river protection program. He was a long-time member of both the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board in Canterbury, serving as chairman of both, and he is currently a member of the Canterbury Conservation Commission. During his tenure with the town, Jim has participated in successful efforts to preserve thousands of environmentally sensitive acres in Canterbury, including many miles of shoreline along the Merrimack River. Jim is currently a member of the Board of Overseers at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, recently served as chairman of the 2009 United Way Campaign in Merrimack County, and was a long-time member of the Board of Trustees at the Capital Center for the Arts in Concord. Jim and his wife, Ellen, live on an old dairy farm in Canterbury with their three children and an ever-changing mix of animals, including dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and a pig named Peanut.  Jim enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, cutting and splitting wood, running marathons and the road race up Mount Washington, and traveling in remote and beautiful areas of the world.

Susan Arnold
Susan joined the Appalachian Mountain Club as Director of Conservation in May 2003, where she oversees AMC’s trails, research, and conservation policy programs. From 1997 to 2002, Susan served as Policy Director for Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Susan also has worked in Washington, DC for a US Senator, and as a lobbyist on smoking and health issues. Susan currently serves as Board Chair for NARAL Pro-Choice NH, and chairs the Zoning Board of Adjustment for her town of Strafford. In addition to throwing tennis balls for her golden retriever, Susan enjoys walking/hiking, swimming, kayaking, and cross-country skiing. Inside sports include reading and cooking, and increasingly, yoga.

Rachel Goldwasser
Rachel is an attorney at Orr & Reno in Concord, where her practice focuses on energy and land use law. In her professional life she represents both regulated and unregulated energy interests before various tribunals, including the Public Utilities Commission, as well as before the New Hampshire Legislature.  She also regularly assists clients before local planning and zoning boards throughout the state. Rachel has an extensive background and experience with energy, land use, and environmental issues. Prior to law school she worked at The Wilderness Society and Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation in Washington D.C. She holds a law degree from Vermont Law School and a master’s degree in environmental management, with a focus on energy law and policy, from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. While in school Rachel also worked for both the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School and the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy at Yale University, and is a 2006 fellow of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation. She received her undergraduate degree in geography from Dartmouth College. Rachel lives in Contoocook with her husband Chris and their two cats, Jobildunc and Hurricane.

Rebecca Brown
Rebecca has lived in Sugar Hill for 16 years. She was a reporter and editor for The Courier newspaper, was a correspondent for NHPR, and performed environmental journalism. She wrote Women on High:Pioneers of Mountaineering and was editor and contributing author for Where the Great River Rises: An Atlas of the Upper Connecticut River Watershed. She joined the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, an advisory organization for the Vermont, New Hampshire, and the communities in the Connecticut River watershed as communications director. She was a founding member and is now Executive Director of the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, which is the North Country’s regional land conservancy. Rebecca chairs the North Country regional board of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, chaired the Sugar Hill Conservation Commission, and has served on a number of other boards in the North Country. She received her BA from Mount Holyoke and MA in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.

David Borden
David Borden was born in NH and graduated from the University of Colorado after serving in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. He and his wife Nancy ran a training and consulting business for service organizations for 30 years. This work included forming the Alaska Coalition in 1978 to help protect 100 million acres under the Alaska Lands Act. He has served on the boards of River Network and Southeast Land Trust of NH and currently serves on the boards of Sustainable Harvest International and the New Hampshire Rivers Council. He is a member of the New Castle Budget and Energy Committees. He served on the Science, Technology and Energy Committee of the NH House from 2007 to 2010.

Staff Profiles

Susie Hackler, Interim Executive Director
Susie is a Peterborough, New Hampshire native and recently moved back to the area. As an undergraduate, she attended Harvard and McGill University with a degree in psychology. Concentrating on medicine and health care, she has worked in various health-related settings, including an international consulting firm and the federal government. She went on to study public health and received a master’s degree in public health and epidemiology from Yale University. With an interest in the intersection of public health and the environment, she studied environmental law and received her JD from Vermont Law School. There, she became a Schweitzer Fellow and received a Rubin Grant to work with a mobile legal organization studying health care issues among women in the most rural corners of Vermont. She lives with her husband Jason in a 1790’s farmhouse – both of which keep her busy and having fun.

Mike O’Meara, New Media Director
Mike is a native of the state’s largest city Manchester, and a life-long resident of New Hampshire. He attended the University of New Hampshire, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science in 2002 and a Master’s Degree in Management of Technology in 2004. Before volunteering with the Education Fund, Mike worked at Raytheon as part of the company’s Enterprise Preparedness Program. In this role, he helped manage all aspects of the company’s emergency preparedness and crisis management activities. When not sitting in front of a computer, Mike tries to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Heidi Quigley
Heidi is currently attending Southern New Hampshire University where she studies Communication and minors in Environmental Studies, Marketing, and Public Relations. Throughout the past three years, Heidi has worked on campus as a peer mentor and worked in the Office of Disability Services. In the Fall of 2011, Heidi was an intern at the Sierra Club of Massachusetts where she learned about environmental legislation and politics. What’s ahead for Heidi? Upon graduation, Heidi plans to work for a Public Relations firm focusing on environmental sustainability in the private sector. In her free time, (what free time?!) Heidi enjoys snowboarding and hanging out with her friends and family.

Landon Kowalczyk, Former Intern
A New Hampshire native, Landon is currently a student at Southern New Hampshire University. A graduate of Souhegan High School, Landon dual-enrolled his senior year to attended both high school and Nashua Community College. Now a sophomore, Landon is seeking a degree in Environmental Management with a minor in Business Administration. Landon also participates in SNHU’s Environmentally Sustainable Students organization and is a member of the Honors Program. When Landon is not in school or working, he enjoys spending his time playing baseball and hockey in addition to partaking in his automotive and music interests.

Nathaniel Boesch, Former Intern
After moving between various states throughout his childhood, Nate migrated from Colorado to the great Granite State in 2006, where he completed his secondary education at Concord High School in 2007.  After briefly studying anthropology at the University of Vermont, Nate transferred to Southern New Hampshire University, where he is currently a senior in the Honors Program pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Creative Writing and English, with a minor in Environmental Law and Politics.  While at Southern New Hampshire University, Nate was one of four students who founded the Environmentally Sustainable Students organization and is currently on the executive board of the Outing Club.  Nate has also assisted with the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire’s annual symposiums and spent six months studying international law and politics in The Hague, Netherlands.  When not living in Manchester during the school year, Nate resides in Henniker.  He enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, reading and random road trips, each of which hopefully gets him closer to discovering the meaning of life.

Michael Samuels, Former Intern
Michael is a Deerfield, New Hampshire native, and a recent graduate of Concord High School. He is a second-year student at Hampshire College, in Amherst, MA, where he studies writing and a little bit of everything else. He also works for Hampshire’s Communications Office, writing articles about the college, its faculty, students, and alumni. During the summer he sculls out of the Amoskeag Boathouse in Hooksett, and plants, weeds, trellises, mounds, harvests, and generally plays in the dirt on the Bee Thankful Farm CSA in Deerfield.