From the Ground Up: Conservation in New England

An opinion piece written and read by Nancy Zimny. Nancy Zimny has been a resident of Richmond, Vermont, for 43 years and is a lifelong outdoor recreationist. She is a retired UVM Professor of Physical Therapy who based her teaching on the clinical science underlying therapeutic rehabilitation techniques for humans and eventually companion animals as a certified canine rehabilitation therapist. Tod...

An essay written and read by Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder. Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder is the author of Mother, Creature, Kin (2025). She grew up in the Great Plains of Nebraska and Oklahoma. After receiving her Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, her writing became focused on the confluence of relationship to place with experiences of the sacred. From 2017–2022, she worked as a s...

A poem written and read by Neil Shepard. Neil Shepard is an award-winning poet who has published nine books of poetry, most recently, The Book of Failures . His previous books include How It Is: Selected Poems and Vermont Poets and Their Craft . He has published essays, book reviews, interviews, and poems in such magazines as the Harvard Review, New England Review, Paris Review , and Southern Revi...

A poem written and read by Catherine Menyhart. Catherine Menyhart is an intercultural educator, coach, and poet. She believes curiosity, wonder, and joy are essential elements in the learning process, whether in the classroom, in the natural world, or on the page. Catherine lives in coastal Maine with her husband and young son, and enjoys writing in community through the Casual Union of Working Po...

An article written and read by Bill McKibben. Bill McKibben is a contributing writer to The New Yorker and a founder of Third Act , which organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate and racial justice. He founded the first global grassroots climate campaign, 350.org , and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College in Vermont. In 2014 he was awarded...

An article read and written by Jens Hawkins-Hilke. Jens Hawkins-Hilke is a Conservation Planner with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, where he has served since 2006. He graduated from Connecticut College with a BS in Environmental Sociology and from the University of Vermont with an MS in the Field Naturalist program. Jens reviews projects with the Agency of Transportation as well as co...

An opening piece for Issue 8, read and written by David Foster. David Foster is an ecologist, Director Emeritus of the Harvard Forest, and President Emeritus of the Highstead Foundation. He co-founded the Wildlands and Woodlands Initiative in 2005 and was lead writer of Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future in 2023. David has written and edited books including Thoreau’s Country: Jour...

An article written and read by Nadine Canter. Nadine Canter is a writer, lecturer, and network builder. Her inquiries are rooted in the mysteries of presencing, unity, and holism to re-weave the Earth story. She is located in Vermont, where she serves as an advisor and mentor, a Tai Chi Chuan and Daoism student, and a Lecturer at Middlebury College. Her mission is to create and support webs of com...

A report written and read by Marissa Latshaw. Marissa Latshaw works with mission-driven organizations to build empathetic and inclusive communication strategies that inspire action. She is the publisher of From the Ground Up and co-coordinator of the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities initiative, working with partners throughout New England to help bring a more holistic, integrated...

A book review written and read by David Foster. David Foster is an ecologist, Director Emeritus of the Harvard Forest, and President Emeritus of the Highstead Foundation. He co-founded the Wildlands and Woodlands Initiative in 2005 and was lead writer of Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future in 2023. David has written and edited books including Thoreau’s Country: Journey Through a Tr...

An interview with Naomi Heindel, Sean Beckett, and Bill Sincavage, conducted and edited by Liz Thompson. Liz Thompson, Managing Editor of From the Ground Up , is an ecologist from Vermont who has explored, photographed, written about, and helped conserve many wild places. She serves on the board of Northeast Wilderness Trust and is coordinating the 2025 Northeastern Old Growth Conference . Naomi H...

An article written and read by Alex Redfield. Alex Redfield is the Policy Director for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities. On the farm, in state government, and in conservation policy circles, his work for the past 20 years has centered on supporting a just transition of New England’s landscape towards an equitable future. He lives in South Portland, Maine. Read the full piece and d...

An essay written and read by Nohham Cachat-Schilling. Nohham Cachat-Schilling is Medicine Elder, Bridge in the Sky Medicine Circle; Chair of the Massachusetts Ethical Archaeology Society; and a Researcher at the Oso:ah Foundation. They are also a contributing author in Our Hidden Landscapes: Indigenous Stone Ceremonial Sites in Eastern North America , part of the Native Peoples of the Americas ser...

An article written and read by Alex Redfield and Marissa Latshaw. Alex Redfield is the Policy Director for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities. On the farm, in state government, and in conservation policy circles, his work for the past 20 years has centered on supporting a just transition of New England’s landscape toward an equitable future. He lives in South Portland, Maine. Mariss...

An poem written and read by Scudder Parker . Scudder Parker’s first volume of poetry, Safe as Lightning , released in June 2020 by Rootstock Publishing, was awarded the Best Poetry Book of 2020 by the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE). Scudder’s poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals including Sun Magazine , Crosswinds, The Lascaux Review , Sky Island Journal , Vermont Life ,...

An interview with Stacy Brenner and Ellen Sabina, conducted and edited by Alex Redfield. Stacy Brenner is President & CEO of Maine Farmland Trust (MFT). Before stepping into the role in December 2024, Stacy had been engaged with MFT for 20 years, as a farmer leveraging Maine FarmLink and MFT’s Farm Business Planning programs, as a Board member, and on staff as Senior Advisor for Farmland Acces...

An article written by Brian Donahue and Alex Redfield. Brian Donahue is Professor Emeritus of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University, and a farm and forest policy consultant. He sits on the boards of the Massachusetts Woodland Institute, the Friends of Spannocchia, and Franklin Land Trust. Brian is author of Reclaiming the Commons: Community Farms and Forests in a New England Town (...

A Welcome Letter, read by Liz Thompson. Issue 7 goes live on June 10, 2025. The Editors of From the Ground Up: Brian Donahue, David Foster, Marissa Latshaw (Publisher), Alex Redfield, and Liz Thompson (Managing Editor) Read the Welcome Letter and discover additional content in the Summer 2025 Issue of From the Ground Up.

A poem written and read by Robert Perschel. Robert (Bob) Perschel joined the New England Forestry Foundation in April 2012 and retired just this past year, in 2024, though he remains actively involved. In his 40 years as an environmental professional, he has worked on forestry, large landscape conservation, and wilderness issues. Bob worked for the forest industry before establishing his own fores...

A report written and read by Marissa Latshaw. Marissa Latshaw works with mission-driven organizations to build empathetic and inclusive communication strategies that inspire action. She serves as publisher of From the Ground Up and co-coordinator of the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities initiative, working with partners throughout New England to help bring a more holistic, integrat...

A poem written and read by Sean Prentiss. Sean Prentiss is the author of Finding Abbey: The Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave , which won the National Outdoor Book Award, Crosscut: Poems , and Majella: Poems from a Mountain Home . He co-wrote two textbooks, Environmental and Nature Writing and Advanced Creative Nonfiction , and he is the co-editor of The Science of Story: The Bra...

An essay written and read by David Foster. David Foster is an ecologist, Director Emeritus of the Harvard Forest, and President Emeritus of the Highstead Foundation. He co-founded the Wildlands and Woodlands Initiative in 2005 and was lead writer of Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future in 2023. Read the full piece and discover additional content in the Spring 2025 Issue of From the...

A reader response from John Glowa. Read by David Foster. John Glowa has a BS in economics and an MS in public administration. He worked for 30 years as an environmental specialist for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. In 1994 he co-founded the Maine Wolf Coalition to support wolf recovery in Maine through research, education, and protection. He ran for the Maine legislature in 2016...

Reflections on the future of forest conservation, written and read by Jamey Fidel. Jamey Fidel is Forest and Wildlife Program Director and General Counsel with Vermont Natural Resources Council . Jamey has a BS in environmental studies with a minor in wildlife biology from University of Vermont’s School of Natural Resources, and a JD and Master of Environmental Law degree from Vermont Law School....

A look at land-use, conservation, and related policy developments around New England, compiled and read by Alex Redfield. Alex Redfield is the Co-Director of the Integrated Policy Program for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities and Food Solutions New England. He lives in South Portland, Maine and welcomes feedback and your perspective on relevant policy discussions. He can be reached...