Nomination Statement for Northern New England Region Candidate
Debbie Goard

I am excited for the potential to represent the members of the Northern New England (NNE) Region on the Terrafirma Members Committee. As a SELT staff member intricately involved with both small and large challenges to our conservation lands, I have benefitted from and appreciate the significance of the education, guidance, and financial resources Terrafirma provides to its members. As the outcomes of legal challenges across the country to conservation permanence affects all of us with interests in conservation lands - including both members and non-members of Terrafirma - the contributions by the representatives to the Members Committee is as important as ever to ensure Terrafirma remains on solid footing. As a forester, I not only need to understand what is impacting the forests at this moment, but also must forecast what the needs will be for the future forests, based on past trends and current issues. This perspective would be of good use to the Members Committee. As we know, conservation lands are forever, making the need to constantly assess the past and present, while protecting the future, critical for successful conservation permanence. Helping guide the direction of Terrafirma, whether through updated policies, ensuring various committee memberships remain strong, or finding new ways to engage members and non-members, is an opportunity I am happy to take on.

If chosen, I also look forward to deepening my relationships with the members within the NNE Region. As land trust staff, we dig in and work daily to ensure conservation permanence. I would look to augment my own experiences by collaborating with all of you to better understand what currently works and what could be done better so Terrafirma can continue to meet the changing needs of members. Only together can we successfully address challenges to conservation permanence. This is more important than ever as conservation easements age, new challenges to the natural world reveal themselves, federal, state, and local laws change, and court decisions are made. Beyond representing the members of the NNE Region, I look forward to collaborating with the representatives to the Members Committee from the other seven regions across the country, to better understand their needs for conservation defense. I also look forward to discussions with our friends outside of Terrafirma who share our goal of conservation permanence. This includes reaching out to land trusts in our region that may not be members yet and being an ambassador for conservation permanence in general - and Terrafirma in particular - to external partners. Caring for these external relationships and providing resources for successful conservation defense is vital to help ensure the long-term success of conservation. I am deeply grateful to be considered for the position of NNE representative to the Members Committee and eagerly anticipate working together for the next three years in our shared mission - and to ensure our continued success.