Midcoast Conservancy is delighted to welcome two new staff members: a senior watershed manager and a senior land steward.

Cara O’Donnell joins Midcoast Conservancy as the senior watershed manager. She brings with her over 17 years of love for the waters and fisheries of Maine, and experience in watershed management and water quality monitoring for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. Her work has focused on monitoring pollution inputs and all aspects of ensuring healthy and connected aquatic ecosystems, including Atlantic salmon restoration efforts within the St John River. She believes in the strength and energy that comes from collaborating towards the common vision of vibrant waters and fisheries which bring life to local communities. Cara earned her BS degree in watershed science from Colorado State University. She is ecstatic to be moving back to the coast and in her spare time she expects to be mucking around in her garden, exploring, and fishing with her kids.

"This is a critical time for watershed and natural resource managers as we enter new territory of climate impacts on our waters,” O’Donnell says. “It’s so critically important to be proactive in our approach when protecting our resources; that success is driven by the participation of the citizens and their involvement at all scales. I'm eager to connect with boots-on-the ground volunteers who are getting things done, to hear from those who have stories to share, to hear folks’ concerns, and to talk with people about the many ways to become involved."  She can be reached at cara@midcoastconservancy.com or by calling (207) 389-5157. 

Chris Schorn joins Midcoast Conservancy as its new senior land steward. In the position Schorn merges his overall love and knowledge of ecology with his geographic data management skills to help determine the best ways to manage and protect the many properties in Midcoast Conservancy's care.

Schorn worked previously in dual roles as the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust's first stewardship manager and stewardship assistant for the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. In 2018 he earned an M.S. from the Field Naturalist & Ecological Planning Program at the University of Vermont, completing a master’s project analyzing forest restoration strategies in the Champlain Valley with The Nature Conservancy, and working as an ecological consultant on projects for the Greensboro Land Trust and Vermont Land Trust. Previously, he worked as a plant conservation fellow with the New England Wild Flower Society, a curatorial assistant at the Harvard University Herbaria, and a plant science intern at the New York Botanical Garden. Schorn describes himself as an unrepentant plant geek and avowed botanist, but one working towards "branching out" by becoming a birder, bug catcher, and rock collector as well—he welcomes emails with anything cool anyone sees outside. He currently lives in the town of Bowdoin with his fiancée, where they enjoy hiking, cooking, and singing with choirs.

As senior land steward, Schorn says he “is excited for the opportunity to work to protect the wild and diverse landscapes under Midcoast Conservancy's care: the hills of Waldo County, islands in Damariscotta Lake, working forests in Jefferson, and riparian buffers along the Sheepscot River.” Schorn adds, "Conservation isn't just something that happens on the day a land trust acquires a property--it happens every day after that. It’s our responsibility as land stewards to understand what makes our conserved landscapes special, and manage them in ways that protect native ecosystems, honor their histories, and promote community connections.” Schorn can be contacted by email at chris.s@midcoastconservancy.org or by calling (207) 389-5158.