KEENE, NY – In August, the Adirondack Land Trust Board of Directors elected four new volunteer board members who bring expertise in ecology, finance, agriculture, and land use planning to the land and water conservation nonprofit.
“Each of these accomplished professionals shares our commitment to environmental conservation in the Adirondacks, and each brings a distinct perspective that will make us stronger,” said Steve Burrington, chair of the Adirondack Land Trust Board of Directors. “Their expertise will deepen our understanding of the region, help us prioritize conservation opportunities, and ensure we are strategic and innovative.”
Michael Davis, Ph.D., (above left) is a lifelong plant scientist who has led the Cornell Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro for 30 years. Along with his wife, Laurie, he also owns and operates Harvest Hill Farm, a small market garden operation in Willsboro. Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of Vermont and a doctorate in agronomy from the University of Minnesota. Davis and his family moved to the Adirondacks in the 1990s, where he and Laurie raised their three sons. When he’s not farming, Davis enjoys spending time with family, running, hiking, biking, paddling, and skiing.
Christine Goodale, Ph.D., (above right) is a forest ecosystem ecologist and chair of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. Her research centers on the study of northeastern forests, their roles in carbon storage and nutrient cycling, and the consequences of air pollution, climate change, and forest disturbances. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of New Hampshire. Goodale was born and raised in upstate New York, with frequent hiking, canoeing, and cross-country ski trips to the Adirondacks. These experiences instilled a life-long love of these ecosystems and inspired her commitment to their study and the desire to support their conservation.
Bradley R. Grainger (above left) built a 30-year career in commercial lending and investment banking career, including as President and CEO of Syracuse-based Continental Securities. Grainger holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Syracuse University. He serves on the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES board and is the president-elect of Longview Senior Center board, past chair of Cornell University’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council, and past president of the Baden-Powell Council of Scouting America, previously called the Boy Scouts. Grainger is also a managing member of The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake. He and his spouse, Mary Maxon Grainger, are residents of Blue Mountain Lake and Ithaca, and they have three adult daughters.
Scott Warner (above right) is a vice president at ERG, an environmental consulting firm, where he focuses on climate, clean energy, and land use issues. He previously worked as a planner in the Waterfront and Open Space Division of the New York City Department of City Planning, and later as an assistant to Wisconsin’s Secretary of Agriculture, where his work included farmland preservation. Scott grew up spending summers at his family camp on Lake Champlain in Willsboro. He and his partner, David Kirchner, currently split their time between the Adirondacks and Massachusetts. In his spare time, Warner enjoys birding, hiking, and working in his gardens.
The Adirondack Land Trust works to forever conserve the forests, farmlands, waters, and wild places that advance the quality of life of our communities and the ecological integrity of the Adirondacks.