Anne Reed
Midcoast Conservancy is delighted to welcome Anne Read and Melissa Cote to the organization. Read joins the staff as a land protection specialist and Cote is the new Sheepscot River watershed manager.
Read is from southern Maine, currently residing in Portland. She studied community development and planning at Clark University and was involved in land protection projects in Worcester, Mass. while receiving her Master of Arts in 2017. She has experience in land and water conservation efforts through nonprofit work in western North Carolina and Massachusetts.
“Anne brings skills around land management, including a keen ability to build trust by listening to and connecting with landowners,” said Anna Fiedler, land protection specialist at Midcoast Conservancy.
Read is delighted to be living and working in Maine.
“What drew me to Midcoast Conservancy was the way that they approach conservation, with an intention to fully represent and include the members of this community, as well as diversifying the way that we can all become active stewards of our lands,” she said. “I can already see how tight-knit this community is, and I’m looking forward to meeting landowners and connecting over our hopes for the future of Maine’s lands.”
Cote is originally from Massachusetts and found a second home in Maine where her grandfather grew up. It’s where she fell in love with the ocean, especially the water-to-land interface, and wrote her college admissions essay about her childhood experiences exploring the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve in Bristol.
Melissa Cote
After obtaining her Master of Science degree in oceanography from the University of Connecticut, she worked for two environmental nonprofits where she found her true passion in conservation work. Cote jumped at the opportunity to make Maine her forever home in January 2020 when she moved to the Midcoast region to work for the Maine Department of Marine Resources where she monitored water quality for the Bureau of Public Health.
“Melissa’s qualifications are impressive, but we are most excited about her passion for and interest in mission based work to help protect and restore the Sheepscot River,” said Tim Trumbauer, director of water and communications at Midcoast Conservancy.
Cote welcomes the opportunity, as the Sheepscot River Watershed Manager, to help protect and restore the lands and waters that both her and her grandfather love so much.
“I’m passionate about conserving, restoring, and celebrating unique lands and waters through scientific research, on-the-ground implementation of monitoring and restoration projects, and community engagement,” Cote said. “I believe outreach and education are some of the strongest tools we have for protecting natural areas and that it’s important to find a balance between maintaining ecological integrity, recreational access, and economic vitality. I’m excited to join Midcoast Conservancy in a time where climate resiliency actions are essential; I’m ready to get to work!”
Midcoast Conservancy is a vibrant regional land trust that works to protect vital lands and waters on a scale that matters and to inspire wonder and action on behalf of all species and the Earth. The organization works throughout the Sheepscot River, Medomak River, and Damariscotta Lake watersheds. Midcoast Conservancy manages over 13,000 acres in 55 preserves and 95 miles of trails, including Hidden Valley, a preserve with cabin and outdoor recreation equipment rentals and a low-impact forestry program.
For more information, go to midcoastconservancy.org or call 389-5150.
