In this Issue:
- 2021-2022 Board of Directors: Call for Nominations
- Save the Date 2021 Annual Summer Meeting
- Member Spotlight
- Upcoming Events
- Job Opportunities
1. Call for Nominations – Join our 2021-22 Board of Directors
Get involved and make an impact on your community. We’re looking for folks who are interested in working with our network of conservation leaders towards building a more sustainable future. Our goals for 2021-2022 include expanding our outreach, engaging students and future environmentalists, and continuing our educational events and trainings.
– Must be a SNEC Member in good standing –
Nominate yourself or a peer by April 15th by emailing Renee (info@swcssnec.org)
BOD Volunteer Position Descriptions
** IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION FOR OUR MEMBERS **
We’re currently updating our mailing list. Please make sure we have your correct email address so you don’t miss your ballot for the upcoming 2021 Board of Directors election. We’ll be using solely electronic ballots.
Email info@swcssnec.org with any updates or questions.
2. 2021 Annual Summer Meeting – Save the Date
Our 2021 Annual Summer meeting will be Friday, June 18th, 2021 (10am-12pm EST). We’ll be hosting a panel of experts to discuss the challenges of environmental justice issues in relationship to soils in the region.
Keep an eye out for more information!
3. Member Spotlight – Christine Odiaga
Name: Christine Odiaga
Occupation: Assistant Project Manager for Friends of Herring River
Position on SNEC Board: Treasurer
Number of years in SNEC: 8 years
Alma Mater: Northeastern University
1. What made you want to join the Chapter? I appreciated the emphasis on science at SWCS; I like that there’s so little marketing, no ads in the Journal. It’s all about protecting our natural resources, and I can get behind that. Membership in professional organizations has been beneficial because it connects me to broad expertise, increases my awareness of matters that I might not otherwise track, provides insight into policy changes, and generally serves to broaden my perspective and knowledge.
2. What is your current occupation? Any exciting upcoming opportunities? I’m Assistant Project Manager for Friends of Herring River, Wellfleet/Truro MA, a 3-person non-profit organization supporting the Herring River Restoration Project. The Project proposes to incrementally restore tidal exchange to 1100 acres of estuary that were severely degraded by construction of a dike across the mouth of the river in 1909. MACC has invited me to do a Lunch and Learn session in June about the Herring River Restoration Project, which would be an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the Project while we’re in the public comment period of our permitting processes.
3. What is your favorite part of volunteering on the Board of Directors? It draws me out of my own little world, lets me participate more broadly in the conservation community. Protecting natural resources is a rewarding way to make a living, and I relish the opportunity to encourage youths to find similar paths.
4. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement to date? I quit drinking when I was 27. My life is a lot simpler, and I’m grateful very day that I was able to stop the first time I really tried.
5. Who has been the most influential person in your career? It’s a tie between my 6th grade science teacher, Sondra Marney and FHR’s late great President Don Palladino. Mrs. Marney took us outside whenever she could to collect rocks and insects, taught us about the moon and tides, and in general helped crystalize my thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. Don was the epitome of professionalism and courtesy, totally unflappable in the face of pandemonium; I find myself channeling Don when I’m in challenging situations.
6. What’s something about you that most people don’t know? I used to have a second row of upper teeth in the roof of my mouth, like a shark; they were removed when I was in grade school. Also my parents were born & raised in Peru; I’m one of 39 first cousins.
4. Upcoming Events
Join American Farmland Trust President and CEO John Piotti and special guest Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for a teletownhall on Wednesday, April 14 (8pm EST).
They will take questions live from the audience while discussing the benefits for farmers and ranchers provided by the American Rescue Plan. They will also look ahead to where the Department of Agriculture is headed, with a focus on regenerative practices and the importance of agriculture in the fight against climate change, the need to recruit a diverse next generation of farmers, and farmland protection.
45th Annual Meeting
Climate Change on Our Ocean Planet
Online Conference, Saturday, May 1, 2021
9am – 11am EST
Hosted by Woods Hole Sea Grant and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
5. Job Opportunities
GIS Contractor
The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is looking for an independent contractor to provide GIS support to a number of critical projects.
Respondents should submit a letter of interest detailing a proposed response to meeting APCC’s project needs, experience with similar projects and a proposed hourly rate of service to info@apcc.org. Applications will be accepted until the contract is awarded.
Land Stewardship Assistant
The Buzzards Bay Coalition seeks an experienced, energetic, and team oriented Land Stewardship Assistant. The full-time position is a member of the Coalition’s Watershed Protection Team and reports to the Land Stewardship Director. The ideal candidate will have the situational judgement, creativity and diplomatic communication skills to effectively address the variety of unpredictable problems that arise amidst the schedule and routine of activities associated with our land stewardship obligations.
