Dr. Douglas Ayers, 56, of Shavertown, Luzerne County passed away on September 12. He co-founded the North Branch Land Trust that has preserved more than 12,000 acres of land in Northeast Pennsylvania for wildlife and green space.
In addition the the Trust, Dr. Ayers was involved in founding several other conservation groups.
He was co-founder of the Conservation Coalition that worked with a variety of conservation groups to focus on preserving land in the region, including state game lands 57, 66 and 13.
He co-founded the Republicans for Environmental Protection - PA Chapter, a statewide group organized to promoting progressive environmental policy.
Dr. Ayers also brought his environmental philosophy to his business endeavors.
He was the founding member of The Lands at Hillside Farms where he served as chairman until his passing.
The 412-acre historic, sustainable living facility has as its goal to educate people how every citizen might make sensible life choices where, if enough of us practice these sustainable/sensible actions, that our world would allow posterity to inherit a place with all the resources and opportunities we have now.
Some of the tenets that he considered sustainable were individual responsibility such as "don't ask anybody to do for you what you can do for yourself," "All of the passengers in the boat should be required to help row."
Love thy neighbor and please "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Servant leadership - instill in oneself and others a spirit of giving back."
Financial responsibility - pay your bills and do not rely upon credit and live within your means." Character - this is something that one is not born with, but rather is revealed via having been sculpted by life's vicissitudes."
A practicing veterinarian, Dr. Ayers opened the Plains Animal Hospital in 1995 and in 2007 build an environmental green facility to house the the Hospital and the Northeast Veterinary Referral Hospital.
“Doug was a mentor to me and literally thousands of others in the world of conservation. Above all, he was my friend,” said Ellen Ferretti, former Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “Along with my fellow Board Members on The Lands at Hillside Farms, we will carry on his legacy.”
Click Here to read his formal obituary.
(Photo: The Citizens Voice.)
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