“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall

I had the fortune and pleasure of working the past six-months with Jess, Richard, and Gina. I’m always lucky with finding great help at work, but this year was a special one. Each accomplished a lot on their own, and as a team we moved the programmatic bar forward. Richard, Gina, and Jess cleared, maintained, and repaired miles and miles of hiking trail, built new preserve infrastructure and installed signage on sites to help visitors best interact with nature, made inventory of our assets on preserves and documented larger problems for another day. Together we measured vegetation on a system of long-term forest monitoring plots used to provide insight in ecological reserve in Maine and even checked in on some things rare and threatened. They further tested and applied new mobile monitoring systems and provided insight into future improvement. Invasive plant populations were assessed and documented when encountered on the landscape, and each took considerable time to meet and greet neighbors, visitors, and our conservation partners as a positive representative of the organization. Oh, and we picked up trash – literally tons and tons of it for proper disposal. …and yes, lots of reporting as part of important record and site history. The energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism each brought to the work was amazing, if not a bit overwhelming at times. …and to watch each develop their own solid connection to these special landscapes that mean so much to me was joy. Gina, Jess, and Richard brought unique skill sets to the table and made significant effort developing new tools for their work toolkit. Watching them has been inspirational, making me further consider my own personal and professional growth. Again, what luck!

Richard, Jess, and Gina, thank you greatly for all that you’ve done over the past six-months. Know that your efforts have not gone unnoticed. Impossible! And best of luck with your next steps doing more good things. I am sure of your success.

With my biggest jack pine hugs,

Dan Grenier