As our protected lands and impact grow and need to grow further in order to protect more natural and working lands in the Kawarthas, so has the Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) team.
We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to some of the new faces making a difference on the landscape.
Summer is a busy season for KLT as field season and events are in full swing. To help ensure everything happens seamlessly, we’ve welcomed two summer students to the fold: Megan Greenwood and Abigayle Lee.
Megan Greenwood is KLT’s new Land Stewardship Technician. On any given day, you might find Megan out in the field, working on stewardship activities, property management tasks, monitoring KLT-protected properties, or assisting with restoration projects.
Her work takes her all across Peterborough County and Kawartha Lakes as she assists with invasive plant species management, planting native trees and shrubs, maintaining trails, collecting ecological inventory data, and more.
Megan’s passion for the environment led to a degree in the Ecosystem Management Technician program at Fleming College. She also gained a wealth of experience during the five years she worked for Ontario Parks.
“I am so thrilled to join the Kawartha Land Trust team in such important work as conserving the natural beauty of our home here in the Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes area,” said Megan.
“It’s amazing meeting so many people who share the same passion. I’m looking forward to getting to know our community and seeing just how many amazing things we can do when we work together!”
If you attend a KLT event this summer, you might meet our new Community Engagement and Communications Assistant, Abigayle Lee.
With a degree in Environmental Studies and a background in event planning and communications, Abigayle’s knowledge and skills are supporting KLT’s outreach and communication efforts.
She shares KLT’s conservation work with the broader community and invites people out to connect with nature through our summer event programming.
At KLT’s recent World Migratory Bird Day event at Ballyduff Trails in Kawartha Lakes, Abigayle provided vital support for a day that saw over 90 registrants attend a day of learning led by Creators Garden — Birds.
“Being a part of Kawartha Land Trust has been an amazing experience. It is such a great feeling coming into work everyday surrounded by people who share my passion for the environment. The KLT team are all so happy to be doing their part in protecting our beautiful land. I love being a part of the communications team because I get to experience the incredible things KLT is doing and I get to share our stories with the community. “
This fall, Abigayle plans to continue her education in conservation biology.
In recent months, we’ve also welcomed Elliott Groen and Oriona Rendon to the team.
Elliott Groen is KLT’s new Sustainable Forestry Coordinator, a shared position between Ontario Woodlot Association and Kawartha Land Trust. With a Forestry Technician diploma from Fleming College, Elliott is a Registered Professional Forester in training, a certified Tree Marker and Seed Collector, and Managed Forest Plan Approver.
He brings previous experience working in forestry on both Crown lands and private lands, as well as working for not-for-profits.
Elliott will be the link between private landowners and the sustainable forestry sector, with the aim of improving pine stands, and showing how a co-operative approach can increase forest quality in the region. He’s passionate about balancing and optimizing the diverse values of forests and landscapes.
“When walking in the forest, it is easy to slip into ‘tree time,’” said Elliott. “I define tree time as thinking about and sensing into what happened decades or centuries ago that resulted in the current forest and what options are possible into the future.”
If you’d like to get in touch with Elliott to ask questions about the co-operative program, have your pine or spruce stand assessed, and get in cue for thinning, reach out to Elliott at [email protected] or call 705-289-3107.
He looks forward to meeting people in the diverse and varied forests of the Kawarthas for many more walks, talks, and actions to help maintain and enhance these places.
This shared KLT-OWA role is supported with funding through a grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.
Our newest team member is Oriona Rendon, KLT’s Donor Relations Coordinator. She holds a Social Service Worker diploma from Fleming College and graduated with an Indigenous Perspectives Designation (IPD).
Oriona has lived in the Kawartha Lakes area for the majority of her life and has always had a strong passion for the environment.
“And now that I am a part of the team at KLT, I have definitely felt a deeper connection to it,” she said. “Through working with volunteers and landowners, I have also come to realize how wonderful the land trust community is.”
Oriona looks forward to connecting with community members and KLT donors as we all work together to protect the land we love in the Kawarthas.
If you have questions about making a gift to KLT to protect the land you love, you can reach out to Oriona at [email protected].
We’re grateful for the expertise, knowledge, and passion for protecting land in the Kawarthas Megan, Abigayle, Elliott, and Oriona bring to Kawartha Land Trust.
You can learn about future job opportunities with Kawartha Land Trust by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter.
Main photo: Kawartha Land Trust team at KLT’s Christie Bentham Wetland near Burleigh Falls, Ontario
