Bear-Paw has a volunteer, working board of 13 members with representatives from each of our member towns. Three primary committees meet on a monthly basis; the Land Protection Committee, the Public Education and Outreach Committee; and the Membership Development Committee. They set policy as well as complete the work of the organization. We have several Board members that also serve on local Conservation Commissions, the UNH Cooperative Extension, and other groups involved in natural resource protection. Bear-Paw is staffed by a part-time Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant.

Board of Directors

Bruce Adami, Membership Development Committee Chair, Deerfield - Bruce is new resident of Deerfield and is in the midst of a multi-year project building a solar-powered post and beam home on 24 acres of land. An avid hiker and outdoors person, he is also a trained classical musician.

Harmony Anderson, Chair, Strafford - Harmony has been a Strafford resident since 1968. She recently retired from 27 years of teaching middle school science at Epsom Central School. She serves on the Strafford Conservation Commission and works for wildlife habitat improvement on her own land.

Phil Auger, Land Protection Committee Chair, Strafford - Phil works for the UNH Cooperative Extension as a Land and Water Conservation Educator. His training is in forest management with a strong background in soils and land use planning. Phil and his wife, Carolyn, live on about 100 acres of land in Strafford, most of which is protected by a conservation easement held by Bear-Paw.

Cody Cramer, Raymond - Cody, originally from Maryland, has lived in New Hampshire since 1995. He lives with his family in a pre-revolutionary farmhouse and has placed nearly 160 acres of his land in a conservation easement held by Bear-Paw. Cody has been a member of the Wentworth Hunt since 1996 and a member of the Byfield Polo Club since 2002.

Sam Demeritt, Nottingham - Sam is a Field Service Engineer for Materials Research Furnaces. He is on the Board of Directors for the NH Wildlife Federation and is the representative to the National Wildlife Federation. Sam is the chair of the Nottingham Conservation Commission and member of the Natural Resource Committee.

Lucy Edwards, Northwood - Lucy grew up on her grandfather's 365-acre apple orchard in central Massachusetts, wandering the woods and fields that surrounded the apple trees. That is where she learned to love open space and all the life that fills it. When she settled in Northwood, she found a number of ways to serve her community - as a member of the Select Board and a representative to the Planning Board, Master Plan Committee, and the Community Resources Committee. She is now an alternate to the Planning Board.

Al Jaeger, Deerfield - Al is past chair of the Ceramics Department at the NH Institute of Art, exhibits widely, and sells his clayworks through galleries in NH and Boston. His studio and home are on 186 acres in Deerfield, 111 of which are in conservation easement. He has been instrumental in helping his neighbors to protect with public and private easements about seven miles of Great Brook, thus connecting large areas of contiguous wild lands.

Betsy Kruse, Secretary, Candia - Betsy is a retired school guidance counselor and founding member of Bear-Paw, for which she has served as secretary since its inception. She is vice-chair of the Candia Conservation Commission. She was a member of the Master Plan Committee and now serves on the Open Space and the Zoning Revision Committees. She has been appointed as a Candia representative to the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission. She has willed her house and 5-1/2 acre property to Bear-Paw.

Judi Lindsey, Candia - Judi, a teacher at Moore School in Candia, is involved in the Different Talents program for school-wide enrichment and started the school's Butterfly Garden. She is president of the Teachers' Union, on the Conservation Commission, the Planning Board, and the Open Space Committee. Judi and her husband Jim placed their 33 acres in a conservation easement held by Bear-Paw.

Frank Mitchell, Deerfield - Frank is currently a Land and Water Conservation Specialist, located at UNH, Durham. He has experience as an educator, naturalist and program administrator. He is active in his community, Deerfield, where he has served as Conservation Commission Chair and as a member of a Civic Profile Steering Committee and Community Vision Committee.

Mark West, Treasurer, Nottingham - Mark is a certified wetland scientist operating his own environmental consulting business with professional work in permitting and wetland delineation. He has served on the Nottingham Conservation Commission and has taught as an adjunct professor at Antioch College. He also provides workshops for wetlands regulators.

Committee Volunteers

Erick Berglund, Deerfield - Erick has recently retired from UNH where he was Director of Student Business Services. Active in the Deerfield community, he is a member of the Conservation Commission and the Open Space Committee. He and his wife Kathy live in an early 19th century farmhouse and are implementing a multi-year plan to improve the wildlife habitat on their land.

Wini Scovill Young, Northwood - Wini is on the faculty of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy where she teaches biology and environmental science. She serves as an alternate on the Northwood Conservation Commission, Northwood Recycling Committee, and currently chairs the Northwood Community Resources Committee. She can also be heard as a vocalist and banjo and guitar player with the bluegrass band, Cordwood.

Staff

Daniel Kern, Executive Director, Greenland - Dan has over ten years of experience in financial and business management and is a past Board member of the Seacoast Land Trust. Dan lives with his wife Sarah and daughter Samara in Greenland. 

Irene Cruikshank, Executive Assistant, Deerfield - Irene is a longtime resident of Deerfield and is currently donating a conservation easement on her property. She has worked in organizations committed to sustainability for most of her work life. She enjoys hiking, contra-dancing, skating, cross country skiing, and playing music with friends.

Past Board Members

Chris Closs, Candia
Barbara Haglind, Candia
Jim Kerivan, Strafford
Debra Ames Kimball, Nottingham
Eric Orff, Epsom
Al Pratt, Strafford
Elliot Sampson, Epsom
Mary Tebo, Northwood
Becky Whitmeyer, Deerfield