The Delaware Highlands Conservancy is extremely pleased to welcome Jennifer Sherwood to the organization as the new Land Protection Coordinator.
Jen joins the existing land protection team, which includes Amanda Subjin, Stewardship and Education Coordinator; Jamie Bartholomew, Monitoring Coordinator; and Carol Smith, Stewardship Assistant.
Since its founding in 1994, the Conservancy has grown into an accredited land trust serving four counties in the Upper Delaware River region with offices in Hawley, PA and Bethel, NY. To date, more than 14,000 acres have been protected. The Conservancy also produces numerous community and educational programs for both children and adults.
As Land Protection Coordinator, Jen will work with landowners who want to protect their cherished lands with the Conservancy for the benefit of present and future generations. She has always had a passion for the outdoors, and growing up in northwest New Jersey provided the foundation for that love to flourish. Her commitment to environmental conservation earned her a BS in Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Cobleskill.
Jen went on to work in the government and private industry as an ecologist in the southwestern deserts, the Rocky Mountains, and the Mid-Atlantic region. “These experiences provided the framework for me to refine my technical experience and broaden my personal connection to the environment,” Jen explains.
She was happy to return to the northeast where she continued to experience conservation challenges influenced by differing land use and resource management goals.
“There are many beautiful natural areas that have the potential to become threatened as development pressure increases across the region. It is important to recognize and conserve these areas so they remain intact for future generations,” said Sherwood. “I am excited to be working with such an extraordinary group of people at the Conservancy and I am delighted that I will have the opportunity to contribute to the people and places I love so much.”
In particular, Jen and the land protection team will be focused on working with the William Penn Foundation, which has recently announced a $35 million dollar multi-year initiative to protect and restore critical sources of drinking water for 15 million people, in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Camden, and Wilmington.
The grant will fund “an unprecedented collaboration of leading conservation organizations who will align their work to protect land, restore streams and test innovative approaches in ecologically significant places.” The Delaware Highlands Conservancy has been selected to receive some initial funding from this grant.
In addition to our land protection work, Conservancy programs like Shop Local Save Land and the Green Lodging Partnership connect local residents and visitors to our working farms and forests—providing clean, family-sustaining jobs that contribute to our quality of life.
Year-round educational programs—hikes and paddles, forest stewardship programs, and retreats to empower and educate women forest landowners, to name a few—help connect people of all ages to the lands that sustain us.
And the Conservancy’s Eagle Watch program harnesses the enthusiasm of dozens of dedicated volunteers to educate thousands of residents and tourists who visit the region to see our national bird.
To meet Jen or the rest of the Conservancy team, to learn more about protecting your land, or for more information on the Conservancy and how it connects people to the lands where they live, work, and play, visit the Delaware Highlands Conservancy website, call 570-226-3164 or 845-583-1010, or send email to: protect@delawarehighlands.org.